Anorexia



Anorexia

Thesis Statement

People with Anorexia believe themselves to be fat even when their weight is so low that their health is in danger.

Introduction

Anorexia, a mental illness in which a person has a severe and constant fear of gaining weight and a vague observation of their actual weight and body shape. A person with anorexia nervosa often refuses to eat anything and usually becomes extremely thin after a period of time.

Causes

There are many psychological causes that lead to anorexia. When looking for root causes of such a damaging disorder like anorexia, one of the first things examined is the anorexic's childhood - their family life and childhood. Paul Robbins, author of a book called Anorexia and Bulimia, found that anorexics are often raised by parents with certain characteristics. Mothers of anorexics have been described as anxious, overprotective, and fearful of separating from their children; fathers are described as moody, withdrawn and passive. It has been found that the parents usually have psychological problems. Further more, anorexics often come from families that have a difficult time communicating. (Exton 2008)

Although the families of anorexics do have an impact, the real problem lies within the patients themselves. Harvard's eating disorder centre found that there are psychological patterns that characterize many anorexics- that there is a certain anorexic personality. These patterns include a psychological drive for thinness, perfectionist tendencies, and a fear of becoming mature. The obsession to lose weight is the real burden held by anorexics. It is the driving force behind their psychological turmoil. For most anorexics, the drive for thinness probably has its roots in our society and media. Our society and media glamorize thinness to the point that some young females obsess about it. Cultural ideas of what is desirable or beautiful may change from culture to culture. The culture we live in values thinness, and have done so since the early 20th century as seen here. This ad shows a soap that can "magically" wash away fat. We can also see the updated version of this in today's magazines. The message is sent - to be thin is said to be beautiful and to be beautiful is to be popular. In an anorexics mind, fat is viewed as unattractive, food causes fat, and therefore food should be avoided. (O'Brien 2003)

Affects

Now that we have looked at the various causes, let's look at some of the effects. The consequences of anorexia are harsh and can be medical or psychological. The whole body and mind suffers! The medical effects are numerous and can very well lead to death. As mentioned before, the anorexic often over exercises and under-eats. The effects of this behavior sometimes cannot be seen by the casual observer. Dan Harmon, author of Anorexia Nervosa - starving for attention, gives us a preview into some of the grim consequences- both medical and psychological. The skin may appear yellowish and flaky and the hair may start to grow on the face. Anorexics often suffer from constipation, dry skin, swelling of joints and ...