ANOREXIA NERVOSA

Anorexia Nervosa: A Dangerous Eating Disorder

Juliane W Heck

Edison State College

Anorexia Nervosa: A Dangerous Eating Disorder

Introduction

In a society where looking good is a synonym of “being slim”, runway models become role models for millions of thousands of teens worldwide. The pressure for being thin and looking good is everywhere around us: from magazine models to movies stars, the subliminal message is always present and has a great impact on the youth’s lives nowadays. The world’s pressure on these young people can become extremely dangerous when the obsession with their bodies gets out of control. Anorexia Nervosa is one of the most common life-threatening eating disorders among young people and is defined by a refusal to maintain minimal body weight within 15 percent of an individual's normal weight through self-starvation (http://www.nami.org/Template.cfm?Section=By_Illness&template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=102975/ Nami, 2010, para.1). Anorexia Nervosa may lead to serious health problems and potential death. Fortunately, with help from professionals, therapy, family & friends, this serious eating disorder can be treated and cured, and the patient can return to live a healthy and normal life.

Who does it Anorexia Nervosa affect and why?

Eating disorders are found nearly exclusively in Western or Westernized populations, and mainly affect women between 16 and 19 years old, in secondary schools, colleges and campuses (Giordano, 2005, p.19-20).
Our culture has changed a lot over the decades. In the past, being too thin was synonym of malnutrition and/or poverty. Slim women were considered ugly and unattractive. However, society values have changed. Nowadays, every woman wants to be skinny and look like the supermodel they see on a billboard or the good-looking actress that stars in movies.
While men are mostly admired for their accomplishments and social status, women are usually recognized and accepted for their looks regardless of how much they achieved and accomplished in life. Since the time they are born, women are thought of how essential beauty is, and this tends to affect their lives forever, once they are led to believe that their acceptance in the world will depend upon their appearances. Beside socio-cultural factors, eating disorders are also thought to be affected by genetic, neurophysiological, familial and psychological factors (Giordano, 2005, p.8). In order to fit into the “beauty standard” proposed by society, adolescents and even children are developing a series of eating disorders and Anorexia is the most common among them.
According to the National Eating Disorders Organization, between 5 and 10 million girls and women, and 1 million boys and men, have some type of eating disorder (Michel & Willard, 2003, p.1). What are the characteristics of someone with Anorexia nervosa? A person with Anorexia Nervosa usually shows traits of obsessive-compulsive behavior. She thinks constantly about food and has an enormous fear of gaining weight. She weights and measures her food, counts calories and limits everything she eats or drinks to as minimum as possible. Also, she sees herself overweight every time she looks in the mirror even though she is emaciated. The distorted image of herself creates a vicious cycle. She may look extremely thin but since she sees herself overweight, she keeps getting thinner and thinner thus, putting her life at serious risk.
The word “anorexia” is derived from the Greek for lack of appetite or avoidance of food (Kalodner, 2003, p.45). People with anorexia become extremely obsessed with food and try to avoid it at all costs. The only thing that matters is how much weight they are losing. The obsession becomes so out of control that anorexics generally avoid any social event that involves food. They also tend to avoid meals with their families and exercise constantly and excessively, even when sick or hurt. Wearing baggy clothes, developing eating rituals (such as only eating when alone), changes in attitude and personality, are also behavioral symptoms of anorexia. Losing weight becomes the center of their lives and the most important thing to achieve. It’s all about self-control, but in reality, anorexics are totally out of control and their lives are full of confusion, fear and sadness. They become very isolated and withdraw from their social groups and activities. Once they often see themselves as overweight, anorexics tend to become very depressed and anxious, developing a series of psychological and physical conditions.

What types of Anorexia can someone develop?

There are two types of Anorexia nervosa: Binging-Purging and Fasting/Restricting. On the first type, the anorexic tend to binge eating. Feeling extremely guilty about all they have ingested, they find a way to get rid of it. The most common methods include self- induced vomiting and laxatives. Studies have shown that anorexics that binge and purge are at a great risk for substance abuse than those who don’t (Michel & Willard, 2003, p.6). Anorexics who fast as a form of dieting usually consume 500 calories or less a day. It’s known that the human body requires at least 1200 calories in order to satisfy its minimum nutritional needs (http://www.everydiet.org/diet/1200-calorie-diet) .(everydiet, 2010, para.1). Besides, anorexics that fast as a way of losing weight, become extremely obsessed with calories and nutritional facts labels even with non-edible things such as shampoo, toothpaste, etc. They will starve themselves and go days without eating and also exercise excessively (even when in poorly health conditions).

What are the physical and psychological complications of Anorexia?

The course anorexia takes in ones life, if not treated in time, might become extremely dangerous leading to a number of health (mental and physical) complications and even death. The mortality rate among people with anorexia has been estimated at 0.56 percent per year, or approximately 5.6 percent per decade, which is about 12 times higher than the annual death rate due to all causes of death among females ages 15-24 in the general population (www.nlm.nih.gov ) (nlm, 2010, para. ?). Anorexia nervosa has one of the highest mortality rates of any psychiatric disorder (Michel & Willard, 2003, p.8).
One of the most common complications of Anorexia nervosa is called amenorrhea, which means absence of the menstrual cycles and is due to dramatic lost of fat in a short period of time. Amenorrhea is a very serious issue. If left untreated it can lead to fertility problems and interfere with the production of the feminine hormone, estrogen, which protects the body against various diseases including osteoporosis (reduction of bone density). Due to inadequate intake of liquids, anorexics can go into dehydration what leads to malfunction of the kidneys. The patient may go into kidney failure, which is most of the time irreversible and fatal. Cardiac arrest may occur when there is an electrolyte imbalance, which happens due to low levels of potassium in the blood. Anorexics usually suffer of hypothermia, an abnormal low body temperature that occurs when there’s not enough fat in the tissues due to long periods of starvation. Hypothermia can greatly affect one’s perception and even cause death. Malnutrition can cause problems to the central nervous system and cause permanent damage of the brain tissue. Adolescents with anorexia show a reduction in grey and white matter in the brain. After weight regain, the white matter returned to normal levels, but the gray matter did not. Chowdhury & Lask, 2000 (as cited in Kalodner, 2003, p.109). Since the intake of calories (energy) is extremely low and limited in an anorexic’s diet, the organism, in order to keep the organs functioning, needs to lower the heart’ rate, blood pressure and body temperature to save energy for survival. Growth of a thin layer oh hair (to keep body warm), extreme exhaustion, weakness, hair and teeth loss are also some of the health consequences associated with anorexia nervosa. Between 5-20% of individuals struggling with anorexia will die (Neda, 2005, para.4). Anorexics often suffer from organ failure, as their bodies can no longer withstand the stress of starvation (Michel & Willard, 2003, p.9). Psychological symptoms are directly correlated with physical symptoms. With a distorted body image, anorexics usually suffer from severe depression and low self-steam. Lack of identity is also very common. When a person is busy living up to the expectations of others and trying to please those around her, she is prevented from discovering her own values and opinions (Michel & Willard, 2003, p.38). A person who suffers from this serious eating disorder has usually extremely negative thoughts and her morals are incredibly corrupted. They think that “being a good person,” means being skinny and the other way around. The lack of confidence and identity, as well as guilt and shame, cause severe loneliness and total alienation. Depression in an anorexic person can many times lead to suicide. The feeling that he/she has lost control over their self-starvation is unacceptable and interpreted as failure. Besides starvation, suicide is the most common cause of death in anorexics (Kalodner, 2003, p.104).

What are the treatments available?

A person with anorexia nervosa tends to defend her eating habits and constantly deny she has a mental disorder. Since she doesn’t see herself as others do, most of the time it’s practically impossible for her to recognize how dangerous her behavior is and then try to modify it. This mental illness usually goes unnoticed for a long time among families and is only noticed when the patient is already in a critical phase. The first and most important step to begin treatment is to recognize the existence of the illness. After the first step is taken, the patient is slowly re-introduced to a diet pattern where a weight gain of 1-3 pounds a week is considered a safe goal (nlm, 2010, p.5). Since Anorexia Nervosa is a psychological illness, it’s very important that health professionals work together in order to provide a full recovery for the patient. Psychotherapy seems to be one the most effective types of therapy among mental illnesses. The types of Psychotherapy includes:
Cognitive therapy: