In the film, To the Bone, a 20-year-old woman named Ellen suffers from an eating disorder known as anorexia nervosa. Throughout the film, viewers are able to observe the difficult journey the main character faces as she battles her way through rehab. According to the American Psychological Association, anorexia nervosa is a serious type of eating disorder in which individuals believe they are fat even when they are dangerously thin and restrict their eating to the point of starvation. Anorexia nervosa is further characterized by two subtypes: those which include the restricting type and the binge-eating/purging type. Ellen, the protagonist, has the restricting type of anorexia nervosa in which an individual’s low weight is maintained via fasting, …show more content…
As stated in the International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, “substantial weight loss can lead to hormonal changes, including reduced levels of luteinizing hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone, often resulting in anovulation or amenorrhea”. In a longigitidunal study, “Fertility and prenatal attitude toward pregnancy in women with eating disorders,” it has been determined that lifetime eating disorders are correlated with fertility problems, unplanned pregnancies, and negative attitudes to pregnancy. The film accurately presents a character’s storyline of what motherhood is like with an eating …show more content…
In addition, in a scene at dinnertime, Megan comments that because of the pregnancy, “…at least she knows things are working down there,” which refers to the fact that eating disorders can cause women to stop menstruating. However, as the film progresses, Megan’s attitude toward her pregnancy surprisingly changes and she becomes enthusiastic. She even tells Ellen that she is looking forward to thinking about “someone other than herself.” Unfortunately, Megan experiences a miscarriage due to her purging. In addition, in a later scene, Ellen says to her therapist, how Ellen knew Megan’s baby “was never going to make it,” making a negative remark towards Megan’s pregnancy. Moreover, the main focus of a person who suffers from an eating disorder relies upon what they eat, how they look, and what the scale says. According to an article in a journal on “Emotion in Eating Disorders,” emotions have been a form of neglect when it comes to the serious topic of eating disorders. This neglect represents the lack of emotions and attachment styles shown by those with an eating disorder and how it contributes to their
In Andre Dubus’ The Fat Girl, Louise is a young adolescent with detrimental eating habits and broken self-esteem. Her lack of self-confidence stems from her atrocious emotional habitat. Louise receives constant criticism from her mother regarding her weight. Her mother states “If you are fat the boys won’t like you.” That kind of ridicule being said by a mother to her 9 year old daughter creates an atmosphere of self-hatred and self-loathing. It is not only her familial environment that contributes so greatly to Louise’s destructive behavior. She has few friends and the one’s she does have agree she needs to change. The society in which she lives also is a contributing factor; the society is laden with stigmas positioned on appearance. That manner of daily ridicule only introverts Louise even more, causing her secretive, binge eating to deteriorate. In research conducted by Ursula Polli-Potts PhD, Links between Psychological Symptoms and Disordered Eating behaviors in Obese Youths, she explains the correlation between psychological, emotional factors and eating disorders in overweight adolescents. Potts states, “The association between binge eating symptoms and eating in response to feelings of distress and sadness with depression/anxiety symptoms corresponds with the results of other studies.” Potts and her colleagues took overweight adolescents and placed them into control and variable groups to ensure correct data. The outcome of their research was that there is a direct correlation with emotional binge eating and psychological factors. Although more extensive research needs to be implemented, Potts and associates were pleased with the results of the case studies.
I recall Alisa and Polly describe their obsession with dieting and keeping count of the amount of calories they consumed. Listening to these women speak about their need to be thin was overwhelming, they were taking an unhealthy approach rather than exercising and following a healthy diet. Counselors and therapist checked up with them to follow up about their feelings and how to deal with these emotions in a more positive manner. The film also showed the reactions towards hiding food in pockets or their bedroom; this is a major factor in Anorexia Nervosa. Being underweight also brought other developmental issues such as the absence of amenorrhea. The DSM-V does not include as a diagnostic criteria because it does not apply to the male population. There is a small percentage of females that although they have an eating disorder, they can have a monthly menstrual cycle. Alisa, during one of her counseling became emotional when she expressed that due to her eating disorder, she felt like she was a little girl. Alisa’s mindset was on her goal of being thin, even if she died, at the same time she did not want to leave her children without a
The documentary Thin focuses on women who suffer from eating disorders in a treatment facility. Currently not many women are educated on the problems they may face when they have an eating disorder. Not only do women themselves understand what is happening to them, the people around them fail to understand why they may have these problems. Throughout the film we are able to focus closely on some of the patients more closely. The patients the film allows us to see closely are Polly, Alisa, Shelly and Brittany. These ladies are all of different ages and are all at different points in treatment.
Anorexia Nervosa may be described directly as an eating disease classified by a deficit in weight, not being able to maintain weight appropriate for one’s height. Anorexia means loss of appetite while Anorexia Nervosa means a lack of appetite from nervous causes. Before the 1970s, most people never heard of Anorexia Nervosa. It was identified and named in the 1870s, before then people lived with this mental illness, not knowing what it was, or that they were even sick. It is a mental disorder, which distorts an individual’s perception of how they look. Looking in the mirror, they may see someone overweight
The lecture discussed a single case study of sixteen-year-old girl who was dealing with anorexia. The speaker, Fisher, stated that he spoke to her parents only twice over the span of four and a half years that he worked with the girl. The initial meeting was to get some background information before the sessions started and the other was further into the sessions. During the only face to face meeting with the parents, he found that there were no outstanding issues in the family that could have caused the eating disorder, anorexia. In the first sixteen years of her life, she was a good daughter who seemed to be almost too good. She was obedient and kind and never got in trouble. She was an honor roll student who was in clubs that were considered
Many causes are attributed to anorexia, and scientists have studied the personalities, genetics, environments, and biochemistry of people suffering from this disorder. Women most often share various traits--although the more that is learned, the more complex each individual case becomes--low self-esteem, feelings of helplessness, and a fear ...
As defined by the National Eating Disorders Association, “Anorexia Nervosa is a serious, potentially life-threatening eating disorder characterized by self-starvation and excessive weight loss.” (NEDA). The term “Anorexia Nervosa” literally means “neurotic loss of appetite”, and could be more generally defined as the result of a prolonged self-starvation and an unhealthy relationship regarding food and self-image. It is characterized by “resistance to maintaining body weight at or above a minimally normal weight for age and height”, “intense fear of weight gain or being “fat”, even though underweight”, “disturbance in the experience of body weight or shape, undue influence of weight or shape on self-evaluation, or denial of the seriousness of low body weight”, and “loss of menstrual periods in girls and women post-puberty.”(NEDA) Among women on a range of 15 to 24 years old, AN has been proved to have 12 times the annual mortality rate of all death causes, and from premature deaths of anorexic patients, 1 in every 5 is caused by suicide, which gives a rise of 20% for suicide probability. (EDV)
Anorexia Nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by severe restriction of food, an intense fear of gaining weight, a distorted body image and a body mass index of less than 18.5 (Kring, Johnson, Davison, Neale, 2013). There are two subtypes of anorexia, Restricting and Binge Eating/Purging. An individual who falls under the Restricting subtype severely restricts food intake, while an individual who falls under the Bing Eating/Purging subtype regularly engages in binge eating and purging. Anorexia typically begins in adolescence and primarily affects women. The disorder is more common in women than in men mainly because of the cultural emphasis that is placed on women’s beauty. Individuals with anorexia generally have a low self-esteem, a very critical self-evaluation and a belief that they can never be too thin. Due to the seriousness of the disorder, the issue of whether or not an individual should have the right the refuse life-sustaining treatment is highly debated.
Bizarre, devastating, and baffling are three words that describe the anorexia nervosa disease. By definition, anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder in which a normal-weight person diets and becomes significantly underweight, yet, still feeling fat, continue to starve themselves. The term "anorexia nervosa" literally means nervous lose of appetite. People with the disorder are suppressing a strong desire to eat, because they are afraid of becoming fat. Anorexia is characterized by extreme starvation that leads to a disastrous loss of weight. Anorexia nervosa affects a large number of people today in the world, and does not discriminate against anybody. Its victims can be overweight, thin, young, old, or either sex although, its primary victims are young girls between the age of thirteen and nineteen. This disorder has become more and more common around the world today. It has populated many college campuses, and it is spreading. Recent studies show that almost 20% of college women suffer from anorexia or bulimia (bulimia is a eating disorder similar to anorexia), and the statistic increases to about 50% when so called "fad" bulimics and anorexics are included (Baker 9). This disease takes ordinary, often very beautiful people and drives them to starvation for no apparent reason whatsoever. They do not even seem to realize the extreme danger that comes with not eating a balanced diet. These young people lose so much
Anorexia nervosa is a disorder typically shown in the media as a teenage girl whose bones show through her skin, picking and prodding at her body in the mirror. This is the image that comes to mind for most people when they think of anorexia. However, this image only scratches the surface of a disorder as complex as anorexia. Anorexia can be understood by looking at a few different things: its definition, its causes and prevalence, its resulting complications, and its treatment.
Concerns about gaining weight and retaining a youthful figure are expressed by many pregnant women. When there has been a history of anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa, weight gain and body shape changes accompanying pregnancy can provoke extreme distress (Rand et al., 1987). Very little is known about the impact of pregnancy on women with anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa. Despite the fact that amenorrhea, the lack of menstruation, and infertility are common features of these syndromes, some women have been able to conceive, even at below normal body weight (Lemberg & Phillips, 1989). Information is lacking in general on psychological impact on the mother-to-be as well as on the course of pregnancy from a medical and nutritional point of view as it relates to both the mother and the unborn child.
There are many more reasons to developing an eating disorder other than the media. After looking at the affects of media and how researchers explore the concept of development: we will now focus on the other key opponents to the development. Ultimately, if a person’s life situation, environment, and/or genetics leave them open to an Eating ...
An eating disorder is characterized when eating, exercise and body image become an obsession that preoccupies someone’s life. There are a variety of eating disorders that can affect a person and are associated with different characteristics and causes. Most cases can be linked to low self esteem and an attempt to, “deal with underlying psychological issues through an unhealthy relationship with food” (“Eating Disorders and Adolescence,” 2013). Eating disorders typically develop during adolescence or early adulthood, with females being most vulner...
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.
The movie starts off with Ellen already in an in-patient treatment most likely in the hospital and in a group therapy. One of the girls there shares her feelings, but Ellen