Anorexia Nervosa Essay - 2607 Words

Introduction Anorexia nervosa is a psychological disorder in which a person has an abnormal eating behavior, to be able to lose weight. The word anorexia nervosa was first used in 1873, by one of Queen Victoria’s physicians known as Sir William Gull. There are two types of anorexia which are the restricting type and the binge-purge type. According to the medical term, this disorder is said to be lack of appetite (Kaye, 2009, p.450). A person who is suffering from anorexia has a fear of gaining weight. This prompts them to do whatever it takes to lose weight. Anorexia is mostly experienced among girls and some men. In general, adolescent girls usually look at their figure more and that is why they are the ones who are mostly affected. By†¦show more content†¦Anorexia can also be prevented by doctors, they can educate the public about this disorder and how to avoid it. Anorexia has many signs and symptoms which could be identified and treated. History of anorexia Anorexia might have begun during the Hellenistic era when religious fasting was introduced to the people. Some of the well known historical figure women, who are believed to also have had this disorder are Mary queen of Scots and Catherine of Siena. Fasting was first practiced for religious purposes by women to maintain their purity. In the 13th century, the Catholic Church was the one that experienced many women starving themselves so that they can be claimed saints. In the case of Catherine Siena in the 14th century, the church began to worry over her extreme starvation. This made the church ask her to pray to God so that she would be able to eat again. In 1689, anorexia was first used medically by the physician Richard Morton. One of the patients of Richard who had this disorder was an 18 year old girl who died 3 months later from starvation (Friedman, 1984, p.702). One of the first male patients was Noah Webster who was a student at Yale College. His reason f or not eating was because he thought that by eating his mind would be dulled. In the 19th century, is when anorexia was proclaimed as a medical condition. William Gull published a paper which detailed about the disorder and how it should be treated. In the 20thShow MoreRelatedAnorexia Nervosa1947 Words   |  8 Pagespeople who do. If we were to look the world as a whole, we would realize that from every 100 teenage girls, 1 to 5 suffers from Anorexia(EDV). As defined by the National Eating Disorders Association, â€Å"Anorexia Nervosa is a serious, potentially life-threatening eating disorder characterized by self-starvation and excessive weight loss.† (NEDA). The term â€Å"Anorexia Nervosa† literally means â€Å"neurotic loss of appetite†, and could be more generally defined as the result of a prolonged self-starvationRead MoreEssay on Anorexia Nervosa 1763 Words   |  8 PagesDavis 1 Anorexia nervosa is defined as a refusal to maintain a minimally normal body weight, in addition to a disturbance in perception of body shape and weight( DSM-IV-TR, 2000). In this paper we will examine Carolyn Costin’s battle with anorexia nervosa from a biopsychosocial perspective and what reinforced her disorder. This will be followed by diagnostically using the DSM-IV-TR in Carolyn’s case and conceptually using the sociocultural dimension. The implications for both Carolyn,Read MoreUnderstanding Anorexia Nervosa1008 Words   |  5 PagesAnorexia nervosa has the highest mortality rate of any psychiatric disorder, with more than 10% of those that suffer from it will die. Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder that is categorized by severe food restriction, excessive exercise and body dysmorphia, which leads those that suffer from it to believe that they are overweight. Anorexia nervosa is commonly misunderstood by the general public. Research has disproved many of the previous thoughts about anorexia nervosa. According to the scientificRead MoreAnorexia Nervosa Essay1392 Words   |  6 PagesAnorexia Nervosa I have chosen to study about Anorexia Nervosa because I would like to know more about this topic and why people do it to themselves. I wonder why young people in particular feel that they need to be so thin. In this assignment I would like to study mainly on why teenage girls feel so conscious about their bodies, what they feel about the way that women are portrayed in the media and the effects of Anorexia Nervosa. To be able to cover thisRead More Anorexia Nervosa Essay1568 Words   |  7 Pages Anorexia nervosa is a life threatening eating disorder defined by a refusal to maintain fifteen percent of a normal body weight through self-starvation (NAMI 1). Ninety-five percent of anorexics are women between the ages of twelve and eighteen, however, â€Å"†¦in the past twenty years, this disorder has become a growing threat to high school and college students†(Maloney and Kranz 60). Anorexia produces a multitude of symptoms, and if not treated, anorexia can lead to permanent physical damage or deathRead MoreAnorexia Nervosa Essay2312 Words   |  10 PagesAnorexia Nervosa is an eating disorder that is most prevalent in adolescent girls and young women. It is distinguished by the loss of at least 15% of the expected body weight (Long). The disease is characterized by the obsessive fear of gaining weight; through this fear, the person engages in dangerous dieting habits that prevent weight gain. According to statistics in 2011 anorexia is categorized as the third most common chronic disease among adolescents, in addition, eating disorders also haveRead MoreAnorexia Nervosa Essay1758 Words   |  8 Pagesare either overweight or just not good enough. With implying that it might result in some type of eating disorder, such as anorexia nervosa. This obsession of being thin has rapidly increased over the years and is still accelerating.(DSM) This type of disorder, mainly appearing in females has over five million cases and one million in males.(family dr) Most kids with anorexia are usually perfectionist, or the kids who do extremely well in school and focus on pleasing others. (guide) Most people denyingRead MoreThe Trauma Of Anorexia Nervosa953 Words   |  4 PagesThe trauma of anorexia Let’s start saying that in my family two of them had or still have anorexia: my cousin and my aunt. It has been a pain in the heart. For years, I was afraid of the magnitude of this mental disorder. Anyway, this disorder is something that intrigued me for a long time, so I am going to try to transmit the pain it can release this disorder to the family and mainly to the person who actually has it. The mental disorder, called: anorexia nervosa, is a disorder characterized byRead MoreBackground History of Anorexia Nervosa1452 Words   |  6 PagesHISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF ANOREXIA NERVOSA Anorexia nervosa’s (AN) first descriptions began during the twelfth and thirteenth century with the historical Saint Catherine of Siena (Deans, 2011). It is related to participating in religious functions and medieval practices of self-starvation (Deans, 2011). Furthermore, the death of popular singer, Karen Carpenter in 1983 created the societal awareness about the effect of anorexia nervosa and become widely known at the end of the twentieth century (RaderRead More Anorexia Nervosa Essay examples657 Words   |  3 Pages Anorexia Nervosa is characterized by a refusal to maintain a minimal normal body weight. A disturbance in perception of body shape and weight is an essential feature of anorexia nervosa. It appears to be far more present in industrialized societies, in which there is an abundance amount of food and in which being considered attractive is linked to being thin. The disorder is most common in countries like the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia and Japa n. More than 95% of cases of anorexia nervosa