Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Essay on treatment of anorexia nervosa
Biopsychosocial approach
Proponent of the biopsychosocial model
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Essay on treatment of anorexia nervosa
Davis 1 Anorexia nervosa is defined as a refusal to maintain a minimally normal body weight, in addition to a disturbance in perception of body shape and weight( DSM-IV-TR, 2000). In this paper we will examine Carolyn Costin’s battle with anorexia nervosa from a biopsychosocial perspective and what reinforced her disorder. This will be followed by diagnostically using the DSM-IV-TR in Carolyn’s case and conceptually using the sociocultural dimension. The implications for both Carolyn, her social and cultural context, as well as society at large will be addressed. The paper will then conclude with the successful treatments of anorexia nervosa and why we should care about the disorder. The biological dimension of Carolyn’s eating disorder includes looking at her first-degree relatives, more specifically females for a pattern of abnormal eating behaviors. In Carolyn’s family perhaps a genetic contribution made her vulnerable plus the changes her body was going through during puberty may have all contributed to her developing anorexia nervosa. Other factors to consider is maybe Carolyn’s hypothalamus which controls her eating behavior had contributed to her abnormal eating patterns, in addition to the high levels of dopamine in her brain that may have decreased her desire to eat. Research has shown perhaps there is a relationship between people with eating disorders having a shorter dopamine transporter train versus people who do not. In Carolyn’s case, she may have a shorter dopamine transporter train and because of this she has a less appetizing reaction towards food versus someone who does not have an eating disorder. Lastly, Carolyn’s changing eating patterns may have changed the amount o... ... middle of paper ... .... Lastly, the impact the eating disorder has on the individual, family, and friends are another reason why we should care. Davis 6 One of my best friends struggled with anorexia nervosa and after getting treatment at the Remuda Ranch in Arizona, she was able to recover from her eating disorder and now maintains a healthy weight and lifestyle. In this paper we discussed Carolyn Costin’s struggle with anorexia nervosa from a biopsychosocial perspective and what reinforced her disorder. We then explored Carolyn’s battle with her eating disorder using the DSM-IV-TR criteria and conceptually using the sociocultural dimension. The implications for both Carolyn, her social and cultural context, as well as society at large were discussed. Lastly, we covered the successful treatments of the anorexia nervosa and why should we care about the disorder.
The sociological essay “Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia” authored by Penelope A. McLorg and Diane E. Taub examines how predisposed conceptions lead to a perception of a person through a specific lens. These preconceived notions in turn lead to labeling by society. Once an individual is labeled, that characterization dictates his or her actions. The authors argue that since little of a person’s identity is self-made, the label becomes the most powerful part of them.
Anorexia Nervosa has been a problematic disease many women suffer from. The article “The Slender Trap” was composed by Trina Rys who is a stay at home mother with a husband and one daughter. Rys writes the main reasons a woman may develop anorexia from. She states that the psychological pressures, expectations of friends and family and influences of the media all are factors when a woman is inflicted with the disease. I strongly agree with Rys persuading argument that anorexia could be caused by an unknown identity and the overall main focus of the ideal image of a woman. Although, I believe Rys requires a stronger argument on whether food restrictions executed by parents are a major step to developing the harmful illness. She seems to put emphasize on mainly women but does not shine any light on men.
B. Such experiences resulted in seizures that were believed at that time to make her neurotic.
“Anorexia Nervosa, AN, the most visible eating disorder, is a serious psychiatric illness characterized by an inability to maintain a normal body weight or, in individuals still growing, failure to make expected increases in weight (and often height) and bone density.” (cite textbook) The behaviors and cognitions of individuals with AN adamantly defend low body weight.
Her doctors suspected that her family’s dynamic and her upbringing may have contributed to the eating
Out of all mental illnesses found throughout the world, eating disorders have the highest mortality rate. Anorexia nervosa is one of the more common eating disorders found in society, along with bulimia nervosa. Despite having many definitions, anorexia nervosa is simply defined as the refusal to maintain a normal body weight (Michel, 2003). Anorexia nervosa is derived from two Latin words meaning “nervous inability to eat” (Frey, 2002). Although anorexics, those suffering from anorexia, have this “nervous inability to eat,” it does not mean that they do not have an appetite—anorexics literally starve themselves. They feel that they cannot trust or believe their perceptions of hunger and satiation (Abraham, 2008). Anorexics lose at least 15 percent of normal weight for height (Michel, 2003). This amount of weight loss is significant enough to cause malnutrition with impairment of normal bodily functions and rational thinking (Lucas, 2004). Anorexics have an unrealistic view of their bodies—they believe that they are overweight, even if the mirror and friends or family say otherwise. They often weigh themselves because they possess an irrational fear of gaining weight or becoming obese (Abraham, 2008). Many anorexics derive their own self-esteem and self-worth from body weight, size, and shape (“Body Image and Disordered Eating,” 2000). Obsession with becoming increasingly thinner and limiting food intake compromises the health of individuals suffering from anorexia. No matter the amount of weight they lose or how much their health is in jeopardy, anorexics will never be satisfied with their body and will continue to lose more weight.
Anorexia Nervosa is an eating disorder that causes people to intentionally starve themselves or severely restrict their food intake. Anorexia usually occurs at the time of puberty and involves extreme weight loss. People who have this disorder have a fear of becoming overweight even though they are 15% below the average weight. Many causes of anorexia show that they adhere to strict exercise routines to keep off weight, 90% of all anorexics are women.
Anorexia is not a choice to be made. It is brought on by many pressures to be thin and it clouds one’s ability to see herself/himself as she/he really is, which is usually dangerously thin. Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder. Sufferers starve themselves and have extreme weight loss. When starving themselves, anorexics may suffer from terrible hunger pains, but feel rewarded when they can make it through a certain time period, usually a day, then work up to two days and so on.
Anorexia Nervosa or just Anorexia, is characterized by an extreme and intense fear of gaining weight, which leads the person to pursue continuous weight loss. Sometimes, a diet can begin innocently, but anorexics don't stop at a rational point. They keep going until their lives may be threatened. Anorexics may use many methods of weight loss along with dieting and fasting. They use excessive exercise, diet pills, laxatives, diuretics, or vomiting as ways of feeling thinner or controlling calories, but whatever the method, the primary goal is thinness. One may wonder why anorexics don't stop dieting once they become skinny. The reason is that a major characteristic of anorexia is a problem called distorted body image. This means that anorexics look at their bodies very differently than other people do. When they look in the mirror, they never see themselves as being too thin. They "feel fat" And usually overestimate their weight. If an anorexic is told she is too skinny, she is more likely to be happy than upset. Many times, anorexics don't believe that they have a problem. Using weight reduction is just a way of coping with other pressures.
Overall, eating disorders are a very sensitive topic and can be suffered by anyone no matter their background, weight, age or gender. Anyone has the ability to be diagnosed with an eating disorder. It is important to teach children young healthy habits with eating and exercise.
As one can see, eating disorders are real diseases with a biological basis that affect the brain and body and should be treated as any other disease. At least 24 million Americans suffer from eating disorders, which have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness. Twenty percent of people with eating disorders will die prematurely due to complications related to the disease. Schizophrenia, depression and a...
Anorexic: this word is an adjective, a label, and to some, a lifestyle. Medically speaking, it is someone who suffers from the deadly and heartbreaking disease, Anorexia Nervosa. This term translates to “nervous loss of appetite”, but anyone who has battled through this sickness is aware how that is anything but true. Eating disorder patients do not, in fact, lose their appetite; there is more to it than that. Many perceive eating disorders as a choice to be thin, a diet, or a cry for attention; they do not see the mental destruction going on inside of the mind. Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness, yet only 30% of people fully recover (ANAD). The general mindset that society has about eating disorders walks hand in hand with these statistics, slowing down any advances patients may be able to make. Eating disorder patients are not getting proper treatment because of ignorant misconceptions about the illness.
In 1978, Brunch called anorexia nervosa a 'new disease' and noted that the condition seemed to overtake ?the daughters of the well-to-do, educated and successful families.? Today it is acknowledged and accepted that anorexia affects more than just one gender or socio-economic class; however, much of the current research is focused on the female gender. ?Anorexia nervosa is characterized by extreme dieting, intense fear of gaining weight, and obsessive exercising. The weight loss eventually produces a variety of physical symptoms associated with starvation: sleep disturbance, cessation of menstruation, insensitivity to pain, loss of hair on the head, low blood pressure, a variety of cardiovascular problems and reduced body temperature. Between 10% and 15% of anorexics literally starve themselves to death; others die because of some type of cardiovascular dysfunction (Bee and Boyd, 2001).?
Many people think that they know all about eating disorders. They think that they already know all they need to know about them and that as long as your child or your friend or someone you care about doesn’t have it; you don’t have to worry about them. Well, how are you supposed to know when someone you love and care about has them if you don’t even know the basics about the eating disorders? Most of the times the person with the eating disorder was only trying to lose a couple pounds. However, the goal that was set turns into something more than just a couple of pounds and that person may go through extremes to try and get to that perfect body they have in mind. But the perfect body they have in mind is not perfect, not even close. It is a pure illusion in which teenagers are made to believe to be the definition of beauty.
Anorexia Nervosa has three Diagnostic Criteria. One is refusal to maintain body weight at or above normal. The other is, intense fear of becoming fat, even though under average weight. The last one is, Disturbance in the way in which one’s body weight or shape is experienced, undue influence of body weight or shape on self- evaluation, or denial of the seriousness of low body weight (Long 15).