Anorexia Nervosa, or simply “anorexia” as it is more
commonly known, is a disease classified in the eating
disorder category. Affecting about one in every two-hundred
fifty young women in the United States, it is a disease
which is characterized by the refusal to eat. This refusal
is completely by the person’s own will. Generally, they
deny their appetite and enjoyment of food. The cause of the
refusal to eat is a direct result of the fact that no matter
how thin they actually are, anorexics see themselves as
overweight. To say the least, they have a distorted sense
of reality, especially when it comes to their own
appearance.
The four diagnostic criteria for anorexia nervosa are
as follows:
1. Refusal to maintain 85% of normal body weight
as applies to individual height and body size.
2. Intense fear of becoming ‘fat’ despite the fact
that they are underweight.
3. A disturbance in the way in which one’s shape
and weight are experienced, undue influence of
body weight or shape on self-evaluation or denial
of the seriousness of the low body weight.
4. In females, missing at least three consecutive
menstrual cycles.
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Early symptoms for this disease are sometimes difficult
to determine because it generally starts out as innocent
dieting. Dieting is very commonplace, especially in the
United States, so this is not very suspicious behavior. The
dieting, however, evolves into less commonplace activity
such as severe decrease in calorie and fat intake, even
fasting. Many times, the subject will exercise
relentlessly., somehow maintaining a high energy level
despite their near starving state.
Though anorexics do not like to eat food, they tend to
enjoy preparing elaborate meals for others and sometimes
collect recipes and even memorize nutritional facts about
foods. Anorexia is also sometimes characterized by bizarre
eating habits, such cases as strange as cutting a raisin in
half and chewing each part for two to three minutes have
been reported.
As mentioned earlier, one out of every two hundred
fifty young women in the United States are affected by
anorexia nervosa. It is a disease which is most common in
females, but one in twenty cases is estimated to be in a
male. Anorexia is most common in North American society.
Anorexia is a direct result of family stress and other
social pressure. Most anorexics come form middle to upper
class families who place a lot of emphasis on achievement,
perfection, and especially physical appearance. Parents are
often overprotective and overcontrolling, the child seeks a
form of control of her own by controlling food intake. Not
all of the negative pressure comes from family however.
Society in general provides the very impressionable youth
with many negative signals by various media. Those on
television and in magazines are especially successful at
telling the youth that those who are successful are so
because they are beautiful, handsome, and thin. This tells
the youth that if they are not beautiful and thin that they
will not succeed.
Treatment for anorexia nervosa is limited and many
times has limited success. The treatment involves medical,
psychological, and nutritional help. However, no real
treatment can take place until the anorexic admits that he
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or she has a problem. This especially applies since a
characteristic of anorexia is not being able to see the
problem with his or her eating habits. When the person
admits to having a problem, treatment can begin. Family
therapy is a key component, while psychotherapy is also
needed to help the anorexic regain a positive self-image.
Despite treatment though, fifty percent of anorexics in
treatment suffer a relapse within one year.
Anorexia has become a more serious disease in modern
times, especially within the last forty years. This is
because of the continual development of society’s pressure
for people to be thin in order to be successful. This trend
is extremely dangerous and particularly detrimental to our
adolescent females. Somehow, society in general, including
the people in it, must try to discontinue the message that
thin equals success.
Works Cited
Allyn and Bacon. “Psychology sixth edition” Lefton, pub.
USA. Copyright © 1997.
Hope, Help, and Healing for Eating Disorders. Jantz,
Gregory Ph.D. Shaw publishing, © 1995.
The Obsession. Chernin, Kim. Harper and Row publishing, ©
1980.
A Wellness Way of Life. ed. 3, Robbins, Powers, and
Burgess. Brown and Benchmark publishing. © Times
Mirror Higher Education Group, Inc., Ball State
University 1997.
