Feeding And Eating Disorders: Anorexia Nervosa

Eating Disorders are a set of serious disorders with underlying psychiatric foundations. An eating disorder occurs when exercise, body weight and shape become an unhealthy obsession (Stein, Merrick, & Latzer, 2011). People with eating disorders take physical concerns to the extremes that they take on abnormal eating habits. There are a variety of cases that lead to an eating disorder and can affect both men and women, however its prevalence primarily occur in adolescence (Ison & Kent, 2010; Stein et al., 2011). The complexity and challenges that occur during adolescents predisposes teens to developing an eating disorder. The period of adolescence is one of intense change, which can bring with it a great deal of stress, confusion and anxiety (Allen, Byrne, Oddy & Crosby, 2013). According to Wade, Keski-Rahkonen and Hudson (2011) 20 million women and 10 million men suffer from eating disorders, including anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, and eating disorders not otherwise specified (EDNOS). There are three main categories of eating disorders, anorexia nervosa (AN), bulimia nervosa (BN), and eating disorders not otherwise specified (EDNOS). Individuals with AN loose more weight than what is considered to be healthy for their particular height, age, gender, and development (Allen et al., 2013). In BN individuals binge eat and purge to compensate for the excessive eating. Purging may include induce vomiting or intake of laxatives that lead to bowel

According to the Mayo Clinic (2016), eating disorders are “conditions related to persistent eating behaviors that negatively impact your health, your emotions, and your ability to function in important areas of life.” One such eating disorder is anorexia nervosa. Not to be confused with anorexia, which is simply a general loss of appetite that can be attributed to many medical ailments, anorexia nervosa is a serious eating disorder and mental illness (Nordqvist, 2015). Anorexia nervosa is estimated to affect about .9% of women and .3% of men in their lifetime (“Eating Disorder Statistics & Research,” n.d.). In general, the disorder is commonly characterized by a distorted body image or self-concept, critically low weight (with respect to the patient’s height and age), and an irrational fear of becoming fat or an intense desire to be thin. There are two subtypes to this eating disorder: restrictive and binge/purge. In the restrictive type, the individual limits caloric intake and may compulsively over-exercise. In the binge/purge type, the individual consumes a considerable amount of food in a short period of time (binging) and then deliberately vomits (purging), takes laxatives, or fasts intensely in order to compensate for the food eaten (“General Information: Anorexia Nervosa,” n.d.). In either case, anorexia nervosa is undoubtedly a dangerous and alarming illness.

According to Phinney (1990), racial and ethnic identity theories provide significant insight into how “individuals come to understand the implications of their ethnicity and make decisions about its role in their lives, regardless of the

This article explored the topic of identifying symptoms in patients with anorexia nervosa (AN). The Eating Disorder Inventory led a study, conducted by D. Garner, that studied females with AN to classify behavior exclusive to the psychological disorder. The researchers recognized the problem of trying to identify any restrictive manners or detrimental behaviors that could identify a person with AN. The purpose of the research was to find tell-tale symptoms or psychological indicators of AN in patients.

Identity development is process that occurs over the course of a lifetime that establishes the sense of self-worth through the reflection of how the person believes that society perceives them, as well as how the individual perceives themselves (Hud-Aleem & Countryman, 2008). Although race is just one factor for the individual to consider in identity development, it’s easy to see how racial-identification can be difficult for individuals who are biracial. For instance, a person’s identity is formulated through the expression of multiple dynamics, including relationships, historical factors, social contexts, and community involvement, as well as other more generalized demographics such as race, gender, age, sexual preference, socioeconomic status, temperament, family structure, and political or religious

Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder and Anorexia Nervosa are disorders classified as “eating and feeding disorders” in the DSM-V. An eating disorder is most commonly defined as “any of a range of psychological disorders characterized by abnormal or disturbed eating habits.” Unfortunately, eating and feeding disorders are seldom recognized as extremely prevalent or in desperate need of help. According to the Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders, eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness.

Binge-Eating Disorder is like the opposite disorder of Anorexia Nervosa. A person with Binge-Eating Disorder will binge on food, meaning to eat a lot in a small time frame, often secretly. They will sometimes feel shame about their eating habits and diet frequently, sometimes with little to no effect. When a person with this disorder binges, it’s usually to cope with an emotional issue occurring in their life lately. Some people joke that they “stress eat”, but those with Binge-Eating Disorder actually do. When something bad happens or they are feeling upset, they use food as a way to cope, regretting it later. This cycle of pain and food is pretty much the opposite of good for these people’s bodies. It can cause high blood pressure and blood

Anorexia nervosa is a life threatening eating disorder defined by a refusal to maintain fifteen percent of a normal body weight through self-starvation (Arnold, page26). Ninety-five percent of anorexics are women between the ages of twelve and eighteen, however, "…in the past twenty years, this disorder has become a growing threat to high school and college students (Arnold, page 39)". Anorexia produces a multitude of symptoms, and if not treated, anorexia can lead to permanent physical damage or death.

It does not come as a surprise that women, in large, are dissatisfied with their bodies. This widespread body dissatisfaction amongst women was coined “normative discontent” (Rodin, Silberstein, & Streigel-Moore, 1984). Although body dissatisfaction seemingly plagues women as a whole, there are several factors that can either serve as a protective factor or a risk factor for the development of body dissatisfaction. Much of the research regarding this normative discontent excludes culturally relevant factors for African American (Black) women. Looking specifically at African American women, the factors that affect body image and body dissatisfaction greatly differ from those that affect non-minority White women. Skin tone or complexion,

Bulimia and Anorexia Nervosa is a serious issue in the world today. I feel that the issue of eating disorders does not gain enough attention from society especially because of its relevance to young females. These unhealthy eating habits are a social injustice issue because the various types of media that disperse an unrealistic image of female beauty. Society takes these images as a standard of how a woman should look. Women will go to the extreme to meet those qualifications to fit society’s female image.

During the adolescence, young black girls are developing a racial identity and learning society ideal of beauty is (Duke, 2002, p. 219). These same women, usually in adolescence, are most are risk of developing body image disturbance that may lead to eat disorders such as anorexia and bulimia (Schooler et al., 2004, p. 39). During this stage in their lives, many of them would rather be seen as a teen girl rather than a Black teen (Duke, 2002, p.219). As a women tend to have a different body type than White ideal, which is usually unachievable by many Black women. Even when viewing

An eating disorder is characterized as an illness that causes serious interferences to your everyday diet, which includes eating extremely small portions of food or severely overeating (National Institute of Health , 2014). An individual with an eating disorder majority of the time begin eating smaller or larger amounts of food, but the urge to eat less or more can spiral out of control. Severe distress or concerns about weight and body image can also be characterize as an eating disorder (National Institute of Health , 2014). Eating disorders usually appear during teen years or young adulthood, but can also develop during childhood or later in life. Common eating disorders include anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa.

Anorexia nervosa is an extremely serious, life-threatening eating disorder characterised by self-starvation and excessive weight loss, effecting 0.3% of adolescents aged 13 to 18 years (male and female). Signs of this disorder can include Inadequate food intake, Self-esteem overly related to body image, frequent comments about feeling overweight despite being thin, consistent excuses to avoid situations involving food, development of food routines (e.g. eating foods in certain orders, excessive chewing, rearranging food on a plate), and the obvious dramatic weight loss in a short period of time due to very minimal food intake. Approximately 90-95% of anorexia nervosa sufferers are girls and women, although there are the few

Anorexia is a psychological eating disorder that causes people to fixate on what they eat and their weight wanting to be thin. Some symptoms of anorexia are extreme loss of weight, being very thin, always tired and having low energy, loss of some hair, dizziness, and trouble falling asleep. Some risk factors for anorexia are being young, female, stress, society, thin people in the media, being sexually abused as a child, peer pressure, and family history. Ways that anorexia can be treated are seeing professionals like therapists, doctors, and nutritionist. The doctor can help determine what's medically wrong with the person. The therapist can help what's psychologically causing the health issues. The nutritionist can help you get back to a

Within the grouping of feeding and eating disorders - which disorder is the most lethal? Why?