In American society women are given the message starting from a very young age
that in order to be successful and happy, they must be thin. Eating disorders
are on the rise, it is not surprising given the value which society places on
being thin. Television and magazine advertising that show the image of glamorous
and thin model are everywhere. Thousands of teenage girls are starving
themselves daily in an effort to attain what the fashion industry considers to
be the “ideal” figure. An average female model weighs 23% less than the
recommended weight for a woman. Maintaining a weight 20% below your expected
body weight fits the criteria for the emotional eating disorder known as
anorexia (Pirke & Ploog, 1984). According to medical weight standards, most
models fit into the category of being anorexic (Garfinkle & Garner, 1990).
Physicians now believe that anorexia has existed for at least 300 years (Pirke
& Ploog, 1984). It was however only about one hundred years ago that
Professor Ernest Lasegue of the University of Paris finally identified anorexia
as an illness (Pirke & Ploog, 1984). The term "anorexia nervosa"
literally means nervous lose of appetite. Most researchers and physicians agree
that the number of patients with this life threatening disease is increasing at
an alarming rate. Garfinkle & Garner define anorexia as “an emotional
disorder characterized by an intense fear of becoming obese, lack of self-esteem
and distorted body image which results in self-induced starvation” (1990). The
development of this disease generally peaks between the age of 14 to 18 but can
occur later in life and is not uncommon to see it in women in to their early
40’s. Recent estimates suggest that 1% of American girls between this age span
will develop anorexia to some degree (Garfinkle & Garner, 1990). It has also
propagated in many college campuses, and it is spreading. Studies have shown
that nearly 20% of college women may suffer from anorexia or bulimia (Pirke
& Ploog, 1984). The disease develops slowly over a period of months to years
during which the sufferer changes her eating patterns to a very restricted diet.
As stated previously above, an anorexic is diagnosed by having a body weight 20%
below the expected body weight of a healthy person at the same age and height of
the eating disorder patient. The anorexic may often becomes frightened of
gaining weight and even of food itself. The patient may feel fat, even though
their body weight is well below the normal weight for their height. Some may
even feel they do not deserve pleasure out of life and will deprive themselves
of situations offering pleasure, including eating. This fear becomes so
difficult to manage that the sufferer will gradually isolate themselves from
other people and social activities. This happens so the sufferer can continue
the exhausting anorexic behaviors. Although the mortality rate is high (30% of
anorexics will eventually die from the disease), approximately one third are
able overcome the disease with psychiatric help (Pirke & Ploog, 1984).
Warning signs to look for in someone you suspect of anorexia. Physical signs are
intolerance of cold due to the absence of the body’s natural insulator (fat),
dizziness and fainting spells, dry skin, loss of muscle, and the most obvious, a
weight loss of about fifteen percent. There are also behavioral changes in a
person when they becomes anorexic including restricted food intake, odd food
rituals, an increased fear of food, hyperactivity, dressing in layers, and
regular weighing. Some "odd food rituals" include things like cutting
food into small pieces, counting bites or even talking to their food. Anorexics
are not repelled or revolted by food, in fact their minds are often dominated by
thoughts of food. While the exact cause of anorexia is still unknown, a
combination of psychological, environmental, and physiological factors is
associated with the development of this disorder (Cove, 1998). The most common
cause of anorexia in a woman is an incorrect self-perception of her weight.
Anorexics feel as if they are heavier than the others around them, and believe
the quickest way to lose weight is to simply stop eating. Anorexia survivor
Nanett Pearson (Miss Utah 1996) explains “I became obsessed with body image. I
kept journals and in one pathetic passage I described how I went for sixteen
days on water, and only about two glasses a day” (1998). At first, this method
may seem to work and the subject loses weight, but their bodies will soon adjust
to the lack of food it learns to use the energy it receives more efficiently.
Ironically, starvation is a very inefficient way to lose weight. When a person
stops eating, their body goes into an emergency conservation mode burning very
small amounts of energy, food is then stored away as fat until more food is
obtained. Another factor contributing to anorexia is the need to obtain
perfection. A perfectionist desires excellence in all aspects of their life.
When they cannot achieve perfection in their endeavors, they “punish”
themselves by restriction or starvation. Anorexics may also desire control over
their lives, including their physical and emotional surroundings. Miss Pearson
explains this “I loved the power I felt in starving myself” (1998). People
who fall in to the trap of anorexia often feel they have a lack of control over
their lives and the only thing they can control is what they eat. They have
control over their body and eat exactly what they want and as little as they
want. It is common for an anorexic to feel a “high” from periods of
starvation. Overall, anorexia can have a very “numbing” effect and give its
victims a feeling of power over their own emotions. Deep emotional conflicts can
also contribute to the disease. When a child (or any person) is told that they
are fat, ugly or dumb often enough they begin to believe it. As a woman grows
into an adolescent, comments such as fat, ugly, dumb tend to take greater effect
and when she looks in the mirror she begins to see only what others tell her to
see, at fat, ugly, dumb girl. This image will prevail even when anorexia has
brought a persons weight down to the point were the person is at risk of death.
The effects of anorexia nervosa are severe and sometimes irreversible. It can
cause changes externally, internally, and psychologically. The external changes
include obviously dramatic weight loss but also can include rotting teeth,
receding gums, dry skin, fainting spells, hair loss, and growth of fine body
hair on face and back. The internal changes include loss of menstrual cycle,
infertility, headaches, swelling, loss of bone density, kidney infections, liver
damage, constipation, diarrhea, extreme temperature sensitivity, cramps, poor
circulation, dehydration, low blood pressure, slowed or irregular heart rate,
bowel tumors, hypoglycemia, throat infections, and low blood sugar (Pirke &
Ploog, 1984). Psychologically, the anorexic suffers with isolation from others,
mood swings, insomnia, hyperactivity, low self esteem, fatigue, depression,
self-hatred, electrolyte imbalance and loss of sexual desire. 30% of anorexics
will either die from complications due to the eating disorder or commit suicide
as a result of the emotional turmoil caused by anorexia in their lives (Pirke
& Ploog, 1984). Many support groups and associations are helping the fight
against anorexia and other eating disorders. The Anorexia Bulimia Nervosa
Association (ABNA) and the National Association for Anorexia Nervosa and
Associated Disorders (ANAD) are major organizations in the fight against these
disorders. These groups are paving the way for research and new and better
treatments. These groups help in providing family counseling and psychotherapy.
Treatment for anorexia nervosa usually consists of nutritional therapy,
individual psychotherapy, and family counseling. A team made up of
pediatricians, psychiatrists, social workers administers treatment. Some
physicians hospitalize anorexia patients until they are nutritionally stable,
while others prefer to work with patients in a more safe and secure family
setting. The most urgent concern of the physician is getting the patient to eat
and gain weight, this is accomplished by gradually adding calories to the
patient’s daily intake (Cove, Judy). When hospitalized, privileges are
sometimes granted as a reward in return for gaining weight. Individual
psychotherapy is also necessary in the treatment of anorexia to help the patient
understand the disease process and its effects. Therapy focuses on the
patient’s relationships with her family, friends, and the reasons she may have
fallen into the trap of anorexia. As a patient learns more about their
condition, they are more often willing to try to help themselves recover. In
treating anorexia nervosa, it is extremely important to remember that immediate
success does not guarantee a permanent cure. Many times, even after successful
hospital treatment and return to normal weight, patients suffer relapses.
Follow-up therapy lasting three to five years is recommended if the patient is
to be successfully treated (Cove 1998). Finally I have a few words to say.
Anorexia Nervosa is a debilitating and cruel disease that targets hundreds of
thousands worldwide and kills thousands each year. If you know of someone with
it or if you just have suspicions please try to get them some help through one
of the many organizations out their. Anorexia nervosa is very treatable. With
earlier detection and a comprehensive treatment plan the successes rates are
high. Anorexia is more treatable then cancer. So I urge you don’t wait, act
now.

Bibliography
Cove, Dr. Judy. (1998). Anorexia Nervosa General Information. Mental Health
Net. (http://www.cmhc.com) Pearson, Nanett. (1998) A Personal Recovery Story:
Starving for Attention. Laureate (http://www.laureate.com/) Pirke, K.M., &
Ploog, D. (Eds.). (1984) The Psychobiology of Anorexia Nervosa. New York:
Springer-Verlag. Thompson, Colleen. (1996). Society and Eating Disorders. Mirror
Mirror. (http://www.mirror-mirror.org/) Garfinkle, P. E., & Garner, M.
(1990). Anorexia Nervosa: A multi-dimensional perspective. New York: Guilford
Press.