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Biopsychosocial essay on anorexia
Introduction about anorexia
Biopsychosocial essay on anorexia
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I was a perfectionist and always achieved in academics growing up. However, I felt like that was not enough, I had to be perfect in all ways. This mindset is what led me to my own mental prison, Anorexia Nervosa. My experience with an eating disorder was the most challenging I have been through; however, because of it I have learned many things, specifically to hope and persevere. Eating disorders are a dark, frightening place. The disease makes sure you feel worthless and despaired. It does its best to strip you of everything you once were, and replace that with skin and bones. The disorder’s distorted view of perfection. My life seemed pointless and I was stuck. I could not see a way out, and sometimes didn’t want to. Everything changed
The National Institute of Mental Health: Eating Disorders: Facts About Eating Disorders and the Search for Solutions. Pub No. 01-4901. Accessed Feb. 2002.
Anorexia Nervosa (AN) was the first eating disorder to be classified, with some specific diagnostic criteria developed in the 1970s (Fairburn & Brownell, 2002). AN is a serious psychiatric disorder in terms of aetiology and epidemiology. 0.48% of prevalence of AN is estimated in girls who fall under the 15-19 age group (Lock et al., 2012). In AN, pathological thoughts and behaviours concerning food and weight, as well as emotions about appearance, eating and food co-occur (Lock et al., 2012). These thoughts, feelings and behaviours lead to changes in body composition and functions that are the direct results of starvation (Lock et al., 2012). The illness in adolescents causes severe affects physically and emotionally, and affects the social development of the individual. The causes of AN are not known but most of the researchers and clinicians agree that AN has multiple determinants (Garner et al., 1982) that emerge in a developmental sequence. Many physiological symptoms, common to semi-starvation irrespective of causes such as depressed mood, irritability, social withdrawal, loss of sexual libido, preoccupation with food, obsessional ruminations and rituals, as well as reduced alertness and concentration are also associated with Anorexia nervosa (Fairburn & Brownell, 2002). The illness is also associated with premorbid perfectionism, introversion, poor peer relations, and low self-esteem (Fairburn & Brownell, 2002). Patients suffering from AN, are also known to suffer from other physical consequences of starvation and other weight losing behaviours. The body’s response to starvation includes bone marrow suppression with increased susceptibility to overwhelming infection, which in the longer term may lead to health consequences s...
Researchers and doctors find eating disorders to be very complicated to figure out due to the many different factors leading to eating disorders. The majority of these issues derive from media images portraying the “perfect” bodies bringing people to believe that they need to change their eating habits to become that “perfect” image. On average, people waste around 31 hours a week on the internet and spend anywhere from two to four hours a day looking up cosmetic surgery procedures and investigating dietary and weight loss plans in an attempt to get that model worthy body (The Telegraph). Men and women should be proud of whom they are and not be envious of others so much as to want to change their entire appearance; God made us all perfect through his eyes; why would anyone want to change that uniqueness about them?
In civilized societies, there are continuous prizing of thinness than ever before. Occasionally, almost everyone is watchful of their weight. Individuals with an eating disorder take extreme measures to concern where they ultimately shift their mode of eating, this abnormal eating pattern threatens their lives and their well-being. According to Reel (2013), eating disorders are continually misapprehended as all about food and eating. However, there is more to that as the dysfunction bears from emotion concealing a flawed relationship with food, physical exercise and oneself. Persons with eating disorders convey fault-finding, poor self- esteem and intense body discontent. This can lead to extreme distress of gaining weight,
Anorexia nervosa is (AN) eating disorder that makes those afflicted attempt and succeed at losing weight until they reach a state of malnourishment for their body size, age and height. Patients with anorexia nervosa have an acute fear of gaining even the slightest weight despite being exceptionally underweight. People who suffer from this disorder use various methods such as over-exercising or over-dieting to avoid gaining any more weight (A.D.A.M., 2013). This disorder has implications regarding one’s security, psychological, emotional, and most importantly, physical health. It can lead to death if too extreme because the patient lacks the intake of necessary nutrients to function. Two case studies describe individuals who try overcoming their emotional and psychological battles as they suffer from AN. Both case studies reveal strengths in their findings that have important future implications, but also limitations in the research design that may undermine the strength of the results.
Eating disorders are described as an illness involving eating habits that are irregular and an extreme concern with body image or weight. Eating disorders tend to appear during teenage years, but can develop at any age. Although more common in women, eating disorders can affect any age, gender or race. In the United States, over 20 million women and 10 million men are personally affected by eating disorders. There are many different causes of eating disorders such as low self esteem, societal pressures, sexual abuse and the victims perception of food. Eating disorders are unique to the sufferer and often, their perception of themselves is so skewed, they may not be aware they have an eating disorder. Media, for quite some time now, has played a significant part in eating disorders. Magazines with headlines ‘Summer Body’, or ‘Drop LB’s Fast!’ attract the attention of girls who may be insecure with themselves. Television productions such as the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show or American’s Next Top Model, show airbrushed and photoshopped women who have body types that may be unachievable. Those who are suffering from eating disorders can suffer dangerous consequences, and it is important to seek help.
The toughest challenge that I ever faced is to stop being a perfectionist all the time. I have high standards for myself and I don’t expect any less than that. I must admit I am my hardest critic. Whenever I start anything I always tend to put everything I have in it. There are times where I even sacrificed sleep just to make sure everything was perfect. I overcame this challenge by allowing myself to relax and realizing that there are times when I can put myself first. I have used this experience to my advantage by setting limits. I don’t necessarily settle when it comes to my work, in fact I am never truly satisfied in it. However I am able to stop going overboard and causing unnecessary stress on
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...
(Thesis Statement)Eating disorders are something that are very common among all people. However, they are not often talked about or understood and this is something we need to fix as a society.
Eating disorders are serious mental illnesses that happen all over the world. In the United States, 24 million people suffer from some type of eating disorder (“Eating Disorders and Statistics”). One eating disorder among these is anorexia nervosa. Everyday, Samantha looks in the mirror and sees a distorted version of herself, someone who isn’t really her. In Samantha’s eyes, all she can see is a chubby girl staring back through the glass of her mirror. She grabs at the centimeters of extra skin on her stomach with a disappointed look on her face. She frowns at her hips that are poking through her thin flesh. She gags at the sight of her thighs in the mirror and thinks, “I guess today is another fasting day.” As she gets ready for school, she throws on a baggy t-shirt and loose fitting size zero jeans, smiling at the fact that they now hang off her thin frame. She makes her way downstairs to push her breakfast around on her plate until her mom leaves for work, and then she dumps it in the trash. In Samantha’s mind, this is going to get her that dream body she wants, that body that has no sign of fat present. What Samantha can’t see is that in reality, she already has that body. Her ribs are poking out of her sides, her arms look like they could bend in two, and her stomach growls with anger, demanding to be fed. Samantha has already surpassed the body she dreamed of, and is now slowly killing her body from the inside out. She will never know this though because she has anorexia nervosa, which alters her mind so severely that she can’t tell how thin she truly is. Anorexia nervosa is a serious eating disorder that has many causes, signs, and treatments.
I went through my day to day life without a single change or challenge. I didn’t try new things, I was scared to act, and I was becoming complacent. I was wrong.
Eating disorders can be altered by many things including bullying. One way that an eating disorder can come about into someone's life if is low self-esteem. Negative body images can make someone want to become skinnier. When someone has a low self-esteem it means a person who has a very low image of themselves. They think that they are nothing and aren’t worthy of life. When someone thinks this they could exercise excessively thinking that it will make them skinnier.
Even in an era of wafer-thin models and Hollywood diets showing an emaciated look to be in style, there are disease states where lack of hunger and subsequent weight loss may be extremely disabling to patients.
The bright line that distinguishes perfectionism from striving for excellence is precisely this fear of mistakes. Nonperfectionists who push themselves to succeed may well be disappointed and hurt by failure; perfectionistic people are potentially devastated by it.(Handley, et al) [1] A perfectionist is normally serious about their work, they won’t let anything interfere with making everything as perfect as they can get it even though nobody is perfect while someone else would try hard but still pay attention to events in their life or even just their own health. Comprehensive reviews have reported dimensions of perfectionism playing a key role in mood disorders, eating disorders and various anxiety disorders. (Handley, et al)
Eating disorders can be described as any abnormal eating habits and can range from minor to life threatening. They result in people making very unhealthy decisions and causes harmful effects on the mind and body. It is important to bring attention to this topic because more and more people are being diagnosed with eating disorders every day. Without proper help, people who fall victim to these disorders continue to get sicker. Not only does eating disorders harm one’s body physically, but they can also cause mental or emotional pain. There needs to be more of a focus on educating society about eating disorders and how to attempt to avoid them. There also needs to be a push to treat the victim’s disorders so that they can continue to live a