Preview

ANOREXIA

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
842 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
ANOREXIA
Anorexia Nervosa About 10-15% of girls afflicted with anorexia will die as a result of Anorexia Nervosa (Robbins 31). Anorexia nervosa is a potentially life-threatening eating disorder. A person with anorexia nervosa, often just called "anorexia," although the meaning is different, has an unclear body image and an exaggerated fear of becoming overweight or obese, so an intentional effort is made to lose weight (“What is anorexia”). The difference between the two terms is the seriousness, anorexia simply means a loss in appetite, and anorexia nervosa indicates a serious mental illness. Anorexia nervosa affects an increasingly large number of people, especially young women in today’s society. Like all eating disorders, anorexia nervosa tends to occur in adolescence, but it can develop at any time throughout one's lifetime. It mostly affects adolescent girls and young adult women, although it also occurs in boys, men, older women and younger girls. You may be more likely to have anorexia nervosa if someone in your family has it or has had in earlier in their life. Another key factor in the disorder is a persons stress levels. Stress over your job, sports, or personal life can make you more susceptible to anorexia nervosa (“Anorexia Nervosa”). One reason younger women are particularly vulnerable to eating disorders is their tendency to go on strict diets to achieve an "ideal" figure. This compulsive dieting behavior reflects today's societal strain to be thin, which is seen in the media.
When talking about anorexia nervosa there are many physical and emotional/behavioral signs and symptoms. The physical symptoms include, thin appearance, fatigue, insomnia, dizziness, skin discoloration, brittle hair, absence of menstruation, constipation, dry skin, irregular heart beat, low blood pressure, dehydration, osteoporosis, and swelling of arms or legs (“Anorexia Nervosa Topic”). On the emotional side of the disorder, symptoms include: refusal to eat, denial, fear of

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder where a person tries to keep their weight as low as possible- it is also classes as a serious mental health condition. It usually develops from anxiety about body weight and shape, and often a person has a desire to be thin or a fear of being overweight. Often people with anorexia will exercise a lot/too much, stick to an extreme diet where they don’t eat much and make themselves vomit. It commonly affects females and usually develops around the age of 16 or 17.…

    • 424 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Trina Ry Research Paper

    • 405 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Anorexia nervosa is potentially life- threatening eating disorder that cause young women to become obsess about their weight and what they eat. Young women fear of becoming fat and will do relentless pursuit to be as thin as possible at any cost. Young women…

    • 405 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Best Essays

    According to The National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD), Anorexia Nervosa (AN) occurs when an adolescent refuses to maintain body weight at or above a minimal normal weight for age and height. The weight loss is usually self-imposed and the adolescent usually weighs less than 85% of their expected weight. The condition occurs most frequently in females; however, it can occur in males. (2010)…

    • 2149 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Good Essays

    “An estimated 8 million Americans have eating disorders.” Anorexia nervosa (anorexia) is a serious eating disorder that causes people to often drop “below 85 percent” of their body weight (Graves, “Chapter One”). Anorexia is about perception, what victims see in the mirror is someone who is “fat”. Anorexia can cause serious health problems; although, it can be cured. To understand the terrible disease anorexia one must understand what causes it, the effects it has on the mind, and the effects it has on the body.…

    • 549 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder that is commonly associated with young women. Most people would never assume that anorexia would be a problem for men, but recently, eating disorders in men have become an increasing problem. "As recently as a decade ago, clinicians believed that only 5 percent of anorexics were male. Current estimates suggest it 's closer to 20 percent and rising fast"(Penn, Nathaniel). Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by immoderate food restriction and irrational fear of gaining weight. The part of the brain that concerns those that suffer from anorexia is…

    • 2666 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Anorexia In Teenage Girls

    • 531 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Adolescence is the most crucial stage of development in which one is mostly influenced by what is seen in society, culture, and fashion. These influences can lead to eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa. Anorexia Nervosa is a psychological disorder characterized by a fear of weight gain, body image issues and maintenance of low body weight (American Psychiatric Association,1994). On average, teenage girls under the ages of twelve to seventeen years old suffer from anorexia. Anorexia is exhibited within those inflicted in several way, such as physical and health outcomes, unstable mindsets, irrational behaviors, and social influences.…

    • 531 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Mental Illness Paper

    • 1440 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by immoderate food restriction and irrational fear of gaining weight, as well as a distorted body self-perception. Anorexia nervosa typically involves excessive weight loss and is usually found more in females than in males. Anorexia nervosa usually develops during adolescence and early adulthood. Due to the fear of gaining weight, people with this disorder restrict the amount of food they consume. This restriction of food intake causes metabolic and hormonal disorders. Some common myths and misconceptions are people with anorexia do not eat, people with anorexia are incurable, and all anorexics are thin or emaciated.…

    • 1440 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Body Image & The Media

    • 469 Words
    • 2 Pages

    There are many different types of eating disorders. One is Anorexia Nervosa, a body image disorder which is “characterized by an individual's perceptions” (Ballaro) as overweight. This causes intense shame, anxiety, and depression. It turns into self destructive behaviors such as self-starvation or obsessive exercise, and occurs mostly in women.…

    • 469 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    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)."…

    • 1689 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Anorexia In America Essay

    • 2866 Words
    • 12 Pages

    Obtaining the suitable treatment is extremely important. Understanding the factors that influence eating disorders is important and critical due to this high mortality rate. It is the third most chronic illness among adolescents, with a mortality rate 12 times higher than all other causes of death for females between 15-24 years old (RCF, 2002). Anorexia begins as an attempt to lose weight and turns into a life threatening disease that affects the individual, the family and society. Up to 50% of college women experience disordered eating behaviours this usually occurs within the first year of college (Cohen, 2005). Anorexia mainly affects females, 0.5% - 3.7 % of women will suffer with anorexia sometime in their life (RCF, 2002). Approximately 4% – 6% of anorexics are male (Halmi, 2005), most are athletes and in sports that require weight…

    • 2866 Words
    • 12 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Anorexia In America Essay

    • 679 Words
    • 3 Pages

    As I said before, anorexia is a triggered mental illness.This eating disorder has various contributing factors. One of the factors is being unhappy with your body. If you're dissatisfied with your body, then you will most likely attempt to change it. Aspiring to change your body leads us to the next factor which is dieting, failing, and then dieting again. It’s a cycle that goes on and on, for a very long period of time. Other factors that can trigger anorexia include reading a teen fashion magazine, being chubby as a child, and the desire to look like a model. As you can see anorexia isn’t triggered by only one single factor, it’s triggered by multiple ones. Recently a scientific study was made and came to the conclusion that 1 in 200 women in America struggle with anorexia. The study also found out that 10-15% of people that struggle with anorexia are males. As you can…

    • 679 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Eating Disorders

    • 688 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Anorexia nervosa is found mostly in teenaged females. Individuals have an obsession to keep a certain body weight. “Sometimes it may start off as dieting, but it easily gets out of control” (WebMD.com, 2011). The individual may have a fear of extreme weight gain, being considered fat, or judgment on their body image. Many who suffer from anorexia lose their menstrual cycle, gain fuzzy hair, and have irregular body temperatures. Since the individual is not eating and most likely exercising to keep the “ideal image”, their body may suffer from dehydration, osteoporosis, electrolyte imbalances, kidney damage, heart problems, or even death. Emotional support, dietitian, and a counselor can treat anorexia. If the weight drop is too severe, hospitalization may become necessary. Early recognition of anorexia is the best way to recovery for a suffering patient (WebMD.com, 2011).…

    • 688 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Eating Dissorders

    • 617 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Anorexia and other eating disorders are long-term illnesses that are caused by an obsession of a certain body type, a certain image, and/or dieting. It usually leads to mental illness, like depression. This is a huge problem for teenage girls in the U.S.…

    • 617 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Anorexia Nervosa

    • 1024 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The most common eating disorders are anorexia nervosa (restriction of food intake) and bulimia (episodes of compulsive eating). These two illnesses can alternate or follow one another. They are often accompanied by purges or behavior intended to limit weight gain. Anorexia nervosa is a serious eating disorder that results in unhealthy, often dangerous weight loss. While it is most common among adolescent women, anorexia can affect women and men of all ages and is characterized by a refusal to maintain a healthy body weight, an intense fear of gaining weight, and a distorted body image. Extreme weight loss in people with anorexia nervosa can lead to dangerous health problems and even death. There are two types of anorexia nervosa, Restricting…

    • 1024 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    Eating Disorders

    • 2036 Words
    • 6 Pages

    There are many signs and symptoms for Anorexia nervosa to look out for as well. Early…

    • 2036 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays