Anorexia Nervosa

Anorexia Nervosa The Silent Disease

Douglas Jordan Clark
Coastal Carolina University

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Abstract

This paper will have to do with the eating disorders, in particular with Anorexia Nervosa.
The paper will answer questions like what are the (DSM-IV TR) criteria for the disorder and the
symptoms? What is the epidemiology such as who does it affect: age, gender, culture, etc.? What
is the prognosis for someone with the disorder and what are the methods of treatment for the
disorder? Also this paper will explore what are the factors that contribute to or cause the
disorder?

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Anorexia Nervosa The Silent Disease

There is a huge problem facing the United States of America right now with a certain
type of mental illness. Men and women suffer from a mental disease that focuses on body image
which causes an illness known as the eating disorders. There are more than thirty million
Americans, with the majority being women, however, men are also affected by this as well, who
suffer from some type of an eating disorder. There are many types of eating disorders, but two
most commonly known are Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa.
Part of this disease's existence is that there is a psychological disorder in the brain, but
also what helps feed the disease to take hold of the victim, is the want to achieve this perfect
ideal body image and figure. Our society and the media is surrounded with the idea that women
have to be this perfect skinny type of body to be considered attractive. This stereotype and idea
that this is what women must be, creates the push to meet the images of perfection that our
society calls upon, and can cause the rise for an eating disorder which has the highest mortality
rate of any mental illness.
Anorexia Nervosa is the most commonly known eating disorder. Anorexia is the
restriction of food intake and nutrition, which leads to extreme weight loss and eventually, if not
treated, to death. Symptoms of Anorexia involve an intense fear of weight gain, an obsession
with weight, and a persistent behavior to prevent gaining weight. Anorexia has an influence on
self-esteem, being overly related to the victims body image. Also, what the huge issue with
Anorexia is, is the inability to accept the severity of the disease and ignoring that it existed. This
is in part caused with body dysmorphia, which is when you see yourself not as you actually are.

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So in the case of Anorexia, you will see yourself as fat when really you are fatally skinny. To a
sense your eyes are broken. This is because when you starve yourself the brain does not register
what you see correctly and the rest of your body is shutting down due to lack of nutrition.
The DSM-IV TR has only three criteria for the diagnosis of Anorexia Nervosa.
Restriction of energy intake relative to requirement, leading to a significantly low body weight in
the context of age, sex, developmental trajectory, and physical health. Intense fear of gaining
weight or of becoming fat, or persistent behavior that interferes with weight gain, even though at
a significantly low weight. 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 persistent lack of
recognition of the seriousness of the current low body weight. However, not everyone with
anorexia experiences all of the same symptoms and behaviors. This is a fairly extensive
breakdown of some of the most common behaviors that you might notice in someone who has
anorexia. If you notice that you or someone you love, is experiencing some or many of the items
on this list, we encourage you to seek help.
Individuals with anorexia struggle with an intense preoccupation with their weight and
shape. Overall, there is an indication that weight loss is of primary importance and it begins to
take precedence over other important life roles and responsibilities. You may notice some of the
following thoughts and behaviors occurring like dramatic weight loss, or failure to make
expected weight gains during periods of normal growth like during childhood, adolescence, or
pregnancy. Excessive weighing of oneself; setting progressively lower and lower goal weights.
Other body checking behaviors such as looking in mirrors, measuring or assessing body parts or
frequently asking others for reassurance with questions like "do I look fat? Changes in weight,

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even slight fluctuations up or down, have a significant impact on mood and self-evaluation.
Frequent comments about feeling fat or overweight despite weight loss. Body distortions
focused on particular parts of their body being fat or too big. Excessive exercise adhering to
a rigid exercise regimen despite foul weather, fatigue, illness or injury
It may seem counterintuitive, but individuals with anorexia often spend a great deal of
time thinking about, obsessing over and even preparing food. In an attempt to avoid weight gain,
individuals will often develop rigid food rules and become preoccupied with thoughts of food
and methods of controlling their intake. Common signs and symptoms related to food and eating
include denial of hunger, dieting, restricting or otherwise limiting food intake.. Rigid counting/
calculating of calories and/or fat grams, sometimes via smartphone apps or other food/exercise
monitoring programs. Refusal to eat certain foods, progressing to restrictions on entire categories
of food. Development of food rituals like for a compute of examples eating foods in a certain
order, excessive chewing, rearranging food on a plate. Possible use of laxatives, diet aids or
herbal weight loss products. Consistent excuses to avoid mealtimes or situations involving food.
Individuals at risk for anorexia are often high-achieving individuals with a tendency
towards perfectionism. These personality characteristics can become heightened during the
disorder. Other behavior changes and warning signs might include increasing isolation such as
withdrawal from friends and activities that were once enjoyed. Symptoms of depression and
anxiety (this can be a sign of an underlying co-occurring disorder or may be a biological
response to extreme low body weight). Show signs of Irritability, moodiness, interpersonal
conflicts, defensive stance when confronted about weight or eating behaviors, low energy and
fatigue. Use of pro-Ana websites which are internet groups that promote/support anorexia.

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Posting of thinspiration on social networking sites which are images of emaciated models used
as inspiration to pursue anorexic behaviors. Also Wearing layers or baggy clothes to hide weight
loss and to keep warm as body temperature drops.
It can be very easy to confuse behaviors in the early stages of anorexia with a simple
desire to eat healthy, get in shape or just lose a few pounds. Unfortunately, for people who
are genetically at-risk for an eating disorder, these seemingly harmless goals can quickly escalate
into rapid weight loss and a full blown eating disorder. This is one reason why its important for
parents, educators, physicians, and coaches to be fully aware of the red flags.
In addition to the signs and symptoms of anorexia listed above, you may also notice
significant changes in their health and physical functioning.In anorexia nervosas cycle of selfstarvation, the body is denied the essential nutrients it needs to function normally. The body is
forced to slow down all of its processes to conserve energy, resulting in serious acute and longterm medical consequences include abnormally slow heart rate and low blood pressure. Damage
to the structure and function of the heart; increased risk of heart failure and death. Reduction of
bone density (osteopenia and osteoporosis) which results in dry, brittle bones, muscle loss and
weakness. Severe dehydration, which can result in kidney failure edema fainting, fatigue,
lethargy and overall weakness. Dry skin and hair, brittle hair and nails, hair loss, anemia which
can lead to fatigue, shortness of breath, increased infections, and heart palpitations. Severe
constipation. Prepubertal patients may have arrested sexual maturity and growth failure. Drop in
internal body temperature, with subsequent growth of a downy layer of hair called lanugo,
which is the bodys effort to keep itself warm. Amenorrhea which is the loss of the menstrual

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cycle which can cause infertility, increased rates of miscarriage and other fetal complications.
Also a huge threat is the extremely high risk of suicide .
Society makes these ideas of how the individual is supposed to be and limits them to only
achieve what it says. The mass media gives a significantly affluential frame of reference for
people, especially women, to learn about what is the ideal features and the value of the body
being considered attractive. Daily consumption of television by the average Americans is over
eighty percent, which included around more than three hours per day of watch time.The
American media creating this idea that women can either be fat and ugly or skinny and beautiful.
Media gives women and men the idea that they must be this unattainable skinny, but truly this
image is created by a fake image editing program, and this false body is the idea of beautiful?
The children of the United States are increasingly engaging in larger amounts of media
usages more than ever before due to the large availability access of the internet through
smartphones and computers. Children from the ages eight to eighteen use some form of media
for about seven and half hours a day. This time is mostly spent on watching television, mostly
playing video games, and being on the computer for more than one hour a day each. Even
children who are in primary school are influenced by the media attention on the importance of
being attractive through childrens videos and cartoons. Also, with older people girls and women
are heavily sexually objectified in advertisements in mens magazines. Swell as the
advertisements in teen magazines are, the second viewers of these types of images are directed
towards adolescent girls.
There is no single clear cause of an eating disorder, however, it has been clear that
research has found that the media is indeed increasingly contributing to this diseases by exposing

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and exerting pressure to fit this ideal body image be seen as attractive. There have been
multiple studies done on the link between the exposure of the thin ideal look in the mass media
to body dissatisfaction. Which has resulted in numerous correlations that have been connected
between the two with the incorporation of the thin ideal and eating disorders among women.
Eating disorders also tend to be more prevalent and appear much stronger in young adult women
than adolescents or children. This could be the result of the long-term exposure by the media of
the ideal body image, which set up the foundation that the individual grew up with as a child and
adolescent foundation that in turn gave negative effects for their early adulthood years.
Eating Disorders are also effect mostly Caucasian women who are in a higher social
economic status. This maybe because by the easier access to dietary supplements, different food
choices, media affluence, and the need to look this certain way due to your classes normative.
When your higher class you have more pressure to look a certain way and be a certain a way to
be accepted. With that being said, television shows oriented more thoughts African American
people may serve a some type of a protective function; African American and Hispanic women
have a higher body satisfaction if they watch more Black-oriented television. Body
dissatisfaction is also placing pressure among men from mass media to be muscular. This is a
smaller effect with men than women but is very significant with affecting more negatively
towards young men than boys and adolescents.
Eating Disorders are known as the secret disease. Over thirty million Americans suffer
from some form of eating disorder, about twenty million women and ten million men, however,
this number cannot be taken as an accurate representation of the disease because most people
who suffer do not know about it or say anything about it. The disease has been around for a long

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time but has just been discovered and researched by many psychotic scholars in the recent
decades. However, there is a huge lack of awareness about the disorder and very little attention is
being given to stop it. Many of the victims are too ashamed to seek help or even know that they
need help. The media and society are doing very little to acknowledge the sicknesss or support
to victims who are effect by this horrific disease. Due to this, there could be a huge number of
more Americans who suffer from this illness that are unreported and twelve percent of the overall
United States current population is reported to have some form of eating disorder. The
percentage is larger and there are millions of Americans who are going through the disease
without the proper psychotically treatment and help that they disparately need.
This is a gigantic problem because if left untreated, eating disorders can lead to extremely
serious and permanent physical damage ranging from damage to the heart, osteoporosis, hair
loss, and the inability to conceive. Also taken the fact that eating disorders have the highest
mortality rate of any psychiatric disorder, and suicide is fifty times more likely to happen to
someone with an eating disorder than that of the general population. However, many people have
been able to recover from an eating disorder if treated at an early stage. Sadly this is not the case
with the majority of the victims of the disease and the longer the illness is left untreated the more
likely victims could have serious medical and psychiatric damage symptoms as well as scaring.
Eating disorders also mostly affect millions of college students, yet most of them receive
little or no medical attention or psychological intervention for the eating disorder. Students in
college, mostly women, but as well as men in growing numbers, do not go and seek treatment for
multiple reasons. part of it is the shame due to the illness. A lot of the cases have to do with the
victims not even realizing that they have a serious health situation at hand or may even

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mistakenly ignore their disorder thinking that it will disappear over time of which is not true.
Also, victims could believe that their insurance does not cover eating disorder treatment, or also
not seek help because there are not any treatment facilities on or near their campus or home.
The Eating Disorders Recovery Center worked with many college counselors and other
professionals in taking a survey in 2010 to find out reasons why college students did not seek
attention or treatment for eating disorders which they had. The survey found that eighty-two
percent are unwilling to seek some form of treatment for their eating disorders. Where forty-eight
percent were totally unaware that they even had an eating disorder. There was a lack of
awareness of treatment resources for thirty percent of the students and twenty-eight percent had a
lack of treatment recourses. Twenty-eight percent of the college students said that they are too
embarrassed to seek any form of treatment because of the stigma behind the disease. Twentythree percent said they perceived a lack of anonymities in treatment and that only eight percent
of the college staffs lacked knowledge as to where to refer students for help. Only eight percent
of the students surveyed did not have the need for treatment which is a drastically small number.
It is extremely difficult to tell just how serious of a problem eating disorders are on a
college campus because only a small number of students seek treatment they need. In the 1980s
studies done on eating disorders with college students indicated that around four to five percent
of students are affected. But in 2006 National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) did a survey
which showed that nearly twenty percent of more than one thousand college students, both male,
and female, said that the had or previously had some form of an eating disorder.
Eating disorders are a huge dilemma that is facing this country and the voices of this
monsters victims are going unheard. Like many mental disabilities and illness, eating disorders

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are looked at as a fake disease that does not exist, or simply a lifestyle choice, which is simply
untrue and sickening to think. Because no person what's to be starved to death as well as out of
control of their own body and mind. The men and women have a silent voice that needs to be
heard and taken seriously. There needs to be a change in the way our society treated these type of
situations and there needs to be more awareness of the illness of the disease. There has to be
more education on the disease to find ways to help treat and how to act around a person with an
eating disorder. There also needs to be more specialize treatment centers for eating disorders and
knowledge in how to spot someone with an eating disorder because anyone could have it. It
could be your sister, friend, uncle, grandfather, or mother. This disease can take hold of anyone's
life and it is extremely difficult to escape if gone unnoticed for too long. Give a voice to the
silent disease.

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References

"Eating Disorder Treatment & Care | Eating Recovery Center." N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Dec. 2015
NEDA. "General Information | National Eating Disorders Association." General Information |
National Eating Disorders Association. National Eating Disorder Association, n.d. Web.
11 Dec. 2015.
Smith, Jennifer A. "The Hidden Health Crisis on Campus: Eating Disorders." The Hidden Health
Crisis on Campus: Eating Disorders. ANAD, n.d. Web. 11 Dec. 2015.
Pratt, T. A. (n.d.). Anorexia Nervosa. Retrieved February 04, 2016, from http://
eatingdisorder.org/eating-disorder-information/anorexia-nervosa/