FREE ESSAY ON ANOREXIA NERVOSA

ANOREXIA NERVOSA

Anorexia Nervosa
Everybody eats. However, according to the human behavior, there are huge differences
between people. Some eat more, some eat less, some put on weight easily, and other does
not. And some people go to such extremes that they harm themselves, by eating too much or
too little. As a result they may harm their health and come to the attention of doctors.
This research deals with anorexia nervosa.
Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder that usually strikes women. Of the seven million
women aged 15 to 35 who have an eating disorder, many will die from the complications of
anorexia. Anorexia may not be noticed in the early stages because it often starts as an
innocent diet. They often become hyperactive because they exercise frantically in an
attempt to burn calories to lose weight.
There are many reasons as to why women develop anorexia nervosa. One is that it is
dieting taken to a dangerous extreme. Another is that societal pressures dictate a woman
be thin in order to be beautiful - the waif look was recently popular. But what these
theories come down to is an issue of control. Whatever else is going on in the anorexic's
life, the one thing that she feels she can control is food.
Anorexia begins with the everyday dieting that is so much a part of teenager life. About
a third of anorexia sufferers have been overweight before starting to diet. Unlike normal
dieting, which stops when the desired weight is reached, in anorexia the dieting and the
loss of weight continue until the sufferer is well below the normal limit for her age and
height. The tiny amount of calories that she is taking in may be disguised by the
quantities of fruit, vegetables and salads that she eats. Also, she will often exercise
vigorously or take slimming pills to keep her weight low. Moreover, in spite of her own
attitude to eating, she may take an avid interest in buying food and cooking for others.
There are many diagnostic criteria on anorexia nervosa if people have this kind of
sickness. First of all, they are refusal to maintain body weight at or above a minimally
normal weight for age and height. For example, weight loss leading to maintenance of body
weight less than 85% of that expected; or failure to make expected weight gain during
period of growth, leading to body weight less than 85% of that expected. Besides, they
have intense fear of gaining weight or becoming fat, even though underweight. 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 the current low body
weight. For most sufferers it will be important to discuss things that may be upsetting
them. For examples boys, school, self-consciousness, family problems, etc. 
Although technically the word anorexia means 'loss of appetite', sufferers with anorexia
actually have a normal appetite, but drastically control their eating. According to the
research paper, anorexia nervosa is not biological and hereditary. The most important
reasons are people's psychological thinking. 
In societies, which do not value thinness, eating disorders are very rare. In
surroundings such as ballet schools, where people value thinness extremely highly, they
are very common. Generally in Western cultures 'thin is beautiful'. Television,
newspapers and magazines are full of pictures of slim, attractive young men and women.
They push miracle diets and exercise plans to enable us to mould our bodies to the
pattern of these artificial, idealized figures, to conform to the shape the media tell us
we should be. As a result, almost everybody diets at some time or other. It is easy to
see how this social pressure might cause some young women to diet excessively and
eventually to develop anorexia.
There are at least 8,000,000 or more anorexia nervosa victims in the world nowadays. It
is estimated that six percent of serious die. There are ninety percent are women. Male
cases are being reported with increasing frequency. Therefore, eating disorders can lead
to death or life-long problems in the self-starver and even in those of normal weight
whom compulsively binge and purge, but it can be cured.
If someone has become excessively thin and her periods have stopped, it makes sense for
her to try to get back to somewhere near an acceptable weight. To help with this,
medicine cannot help to solve this sickness. The most important thing is that the
sufferers themselves. They have to learn the consequences of not eating. Then, they will
make the right decision consciously. First of all, both she and her family will first
need information. What is a 'normal' weight for her? How many calories are needed each
day to get there? For many suffers, the most important question is, How can I make sure
that I don't shoot past that weight and become fat? In anorexia, the patient has
excessive control of her eating. How can she ease up? For youngsters still living at
home, it is the parents' job to watch over the food that is eaten, at least for a while.
This involves both making sure that she has regular meals with the rest of the family,
and that she gets enough calories. Mounds of lettuce can be very deceptive. It is also
important that the family see the psychiatrist regularly both to check on weight and for
support, as having an anorexic in the family can be extremely stressful. Besides this,
parents should encourage their anorexic children to join a self-help group in which other
people share similar problems.
These groups can provide both information and support during the difficult times that
everybody with these problems goes through. It is obvious that it cure the anorexia
easily if the suffers didn't hurt too much.
Bibliography
Insel, P. M., Roth, W. T. (1996). Core Concepts in Health. Toronto: Mayfield.
Gill, K. B. (1995). Who suffers from anorexia nervosa. Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia,
275-276.
Zerbe, J. Y. (1997). Eating Disorders. Harvard College Research Groups.
http://www.mentalhealth.com/mag1/1997/h97-eat1.html