To what extent do biological approaches successfully explain eating disorders?
There are many different biological approaches that explain the reasons for eating disorders they all have some validity behind them to a certain extent. An eating disorder is a psychological dysfunction that causes a person to change their eating habits to eating less, or more etc.
Firstly a biological approach was studied by Holland (1988) on genetic concordance between identical twins and non-identical twins. Holland was trying to discover the connection between anorexia and genetics through twins. Holland's study consisted of taking pairs of Monozygotic (identical) and Dizygotic (non-identical) with one of the twins suffering from anorexia; therefore there are greater genetic differences between DZ twins than the MZ twins. Holland discovered that MZ twins had a 56% concordance of their genes where as the DZ twins had only 6% concordance. This shows that therefore genetics do play a part in the causes of eating disorders. However Holland's study only focuses on anorexia other eating disorders m...
Introduction Therapy and inpatient psychiatric units can be extremely helpful for patients who need professional help. There are multiple types of inpatient facilities and many to choose from for a specific condition. Types of inpatient psychiatric facilities may include: drug addiction, alcohol addiction, sexual addiction, trauma, mental health disorders, eating disorders, or other conditions. Laureate Eating Disorders Program is an eating recovery center located in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Laureate Eating Disorders Program
The book Stick Figure: A Diary Of My Former Self is a personal journal written by Lori Gottlieb when she was 11 years old suffering from anorexia nervosa. “Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder that causes people to obsess about their weight and the food they eat.” (mayclinic.com) Most eating disorders are physiological due to friends and family, stress, and the social media. Anorexia nervosa, like all other eating disorders, is extremely dangerous and unhealthy for the human body to endure. Although eating disorders are destructive to one's life, is there an explainable reasoning behind why a person may have one?
Research, 2016. Bordo implicated popular culture as having a serious negative role in how women of America view their bodies. These images have led to drastic increase change in life altering female disorders and eating. Not only does these images affect Americans but young men and women too which they should be fighting against it, not for
Aside from the genetic component there is also the culture around eating in the home. Parents usually decide what type of food is eaten in the house and this in turn shapes a child’s thoughts about what is and isn’t normal. If the child is taught unhealthy eating habits from an early age it can lead to eating disorders due to the child modeling their behaviour after the parent. “Data suggest that parents, particularly mothers, may contribute to their children’s (particularly daughters’) decision to lose weight” (Module 6, slide
Eating disorders are not caused by a single source, such as control, but are due to an accumulation of factors including genetics, upbringing, culture, and personality.
Steiger, Howard. (1996). Familial eating concerns and psychopathological traits. International Journal of Eating Disorders. 19, 147-157.
The rising frequency of teen Internet and social media use, in particular Facebook, has cause parents to lose sight of these websites harmful attributes that lead to eating disorders and extreme dieting. Michele Foster, author of “Internet Marketing Through Facebook: Influencing Body Image in Teens and Young Adults”, published October 2008 in Self Help Magazine, argues Facebook has become the leading social network for teens and young adults aging 17 to 25 years of age, and is also the age range that has significant increases in Anorexia and Bulimia Nervosa in women. Foster accomplishes her purpose, which is to draw the parents of teen’s attention to the loosely regulated advertisements on Facebook and Facebook’s reluctance to ban negative body image ads. Foster creates a logos appeal by using examples and persona, pathos appeal by using diction, and ethos appeal by using examples and persona.
1. Eating disorders in our present society can be viewed as a multi-determined disorder for various reasons. The current definition of a multi-determined disorder is when there is more than one factor with a wide range of causes that creates the disorder to form. Negative influences from family members, friends, the western culture, or even a specific cultural may harshly impact a person and influence how he or she should live their life. Anorexia and Bulimia are both to be considered as a multi-determined disorder that is influenced greatly by socio-cultural, biological and psychological factors. Subcultures create large pressures and restraints to diet and become thin. For instance, the Asian culture, if a person is overweight, they are frowned upon and considered almost as a disgrace to the community. Studies have also proven that family histories that have a weight loss disorder are more likely to also develop depression and anxiety disorders and are more likely found in women. Daily habits in a household also greatly impact the way a child is raised. Factors such as being over protective or having excessive control may also lead to forming an eating disorder, which anorexia becomes more susceptible for children. Psychological factors are most commonly formed when other views and living habits become more influential than our own. The way others perceive a person is defined as a schema. Once schemas are formed they may store in a person’s long-term memory and create self-schemas. Negative self-schemas will change an individual’s personality to become unstable and believe they are constantly being judged. Self-concept then forms leading to more harmful disorders such as poor self-esteem, depression and inability ...
Recently, a great amount of psychological literature has focused on finding biological and genetic causes of mental illnesses and disorders, including eating disorders. However, according to recent twin studies, the heritability component of eating disorders may only account for 0% to 70% of the variance (Fairburn, Cowen, & Harrison, 1999). The leaves an ample amount of room for speculation of possible environmental risk factors for eating disorders. In this paper, I wish to examine one possible environmental risk that has received attention since the mid-80’s. Since that time, researchers have searched to determine the relationship between childhood sexual abuse, or trauma in general, and the development of eating disorders.
A number of studies show that sexual abuse, trauma, and even bullying can bring you to eating disorders. (“Case”) Such a genetic make-up is a time bomb for distorted thinking about body image. Then the person will dislike there body image and will stop eating.(“Case”) Laura was diagnosed with anorexia as a teen. She only was 65 recovered by 20, relapsed at 48.and then recovered again. Laura has an identical twin. Her sister never had anorexia and is in fact obese. (“Case”) Where two women share exactly the same genes but only one gets anorexia? Same genetic makeup, different life experiences. (“Case”) There is TV, Magazine articles, and unfortunate high-profile deaths to put eating disorders on most high level. Whenever you open a magazine all you see is models and lots of skinny people, some of aware hung people want to be like that model or skinny person just because they think they look good or maybe there will feel good about them self’s. (“Eller”)
Mazzeo, Suzanne E., and Cynthia M. Bulik. "Environmental and genetic risk factors for eating disorders: What the clinician needs to know."
Numerous studies have showed the part of heredity in eating disorders. Eating disorders are obviously transmitted inside families, implying that heredity is to be sure an element. While study information have not demonstrated that dietary issues are naturally transmitted from mother to girl, for instance, they do demonstrate a conceivable transmission of temperamental traits or a vulnerability to different stressors that appear to build the danger of creating these disorder (Douglas). Approximately 56% risk of developing an eating disorder is contributed by the genetic factors and individuals with affected family members are twelve times more likely to develop an eating disorder (Engel, 2007).
Eating disorders are quite serious and can often lead to extreme disruption of normal eating behaviors. It wasn’t considered an illness till 1980, when a singer named Karen Carpenter died from complications due to anorexia. If left untreated a person can put significant stress on their body; causing the body to begin to shut down. Often the organs will begin to fail, the persons hair will start to fall out and the person whom you once knew will become completely unrecognizable. Researchers have found many reasons that can be the cause of eating disorders. If we consider Demi Lovato a once happy go lucky Disney star who started acting different from her usual self. We can see that she was struggling from some kind of internal complex. When
Johnson, Craig, and Cynthia Bulik. "Genetics Play a Significant Role in Eating Disorders." Eating Disorders. Ed. Roman Espejo. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2012. Opposing Viewpoints. Rpt. from "Brave New World: The Role of Genetics in the Prevention and Treatment of Eating Disorders." www.wpic.pitt.edu/research/pfanbn/genetics.html. 2002. 36-40. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 5 Dec. 2013.
There are many reasons that can contribute to the cause of eating disorders. One of the main reasons seems to be the obsession over every little pound a person is wearing. Sometimes low self-esteem or depression from any number of causes can usher in the eating disorder. Other times compulsive exercising can help shed the pounds but leave the enthused unhealthy looking.