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| http://malingunilla.blogspot.com/2012/10/day-190- how-mirror-controls-my-life.html |
According to the DSM-IV-TR, individuals with
anorexia "weigh less than 85% of normal body weight, have an intense fear of
weight gain, and young women miss at least three consecutive menstrual cycles" (Van Wormer & Davis, 2008). Many of the physical signs and
symptoms are attributable to starvation including: cold intolerance, lethargy,
constipation, and the appearance of fine body hair (2008).
Addiction Criteria:
(No longer a Bad Habit)
(No longer a Bad Habit)
-An extreme fear of gaining weight or becoming
fat, even when underweight
-Refusal to keep their weight at what is
considered normal for their height and age. (Specifically 15% or more below the
normal weight)
-Have a body image that is distorted, focused on
body weight or shape, and refuse to admit that this weight loss is dangerous
-For women, no menstrual cycle for 3 or more
(“Anorexia Nervosa,” 2012) (“Anorexia
Nervosa,” 2013)
 |
| http://elleelleeye.blogspot.com/2010/12/eyewatch- myhealth-anorexia-nervosa.html |
Other
Signs/Symptoms:
-Cut food into small pieces or move them around
the plate instead of eating
-Exercise all the time (bad weather, hurt, or busy)
-Go to the bathroom after meals
-Refuse to eat around people
-Use pills to make them urinate (water pills/diuretics) or have a bowel
movement (enemas/laxatives) or decrease appetite (diet pills)
-Blotchy or yellow skin, fine hair, hair loss
 |
| http://www.womenshealth.gov/publications/our-publications/ fact-sheet/anorexia-nervosa.cfm |
-Confused or slow thinking, poor
memory/judgment
memory/judgment
-Depression
-Dry mouth
-Sensitivity to cold; many clothing layers
-Loss of bone strength
-Loss of muscle and body fat
(“Anorexia Nervosa,” 2012) (Anorexia
Nervosa,” 2013)
The image to the left shows how anorexia affects the entire body.
The video clip (below) is of a girl and her fight with anorexia. Take notice of how it was never enough weight loss, and as soon as she reached her goal, she created another. Also, in her case, she knew she was loosing too much weight so she had to be deceptive and trick the scale when she weighed in. She was addicted to loosing weight, even when she knew it was bad for her.
The video below is of an interesting Italian, anti-anorexia campaign you must watch!
Statistics:
Eating Disorders Overall:
-Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any other mental illness
-Women are much more likely than men to develop an
eating disorder (90% women; 10% men) (2013)
-Only 1 in 10 men and women with eating disorders receive treatment
-95% of those who have eating disorders are between the ages of 12 and 16 (2013)
-Only 1 in 10 men and women with eating disorders receive treatment
-95% of those who have eating disorders are between the ages of 12 and 16 (2013)
Anorexia:
-One in 100 individuals with anorexia, who have sought treatment, die each year (“Diagnosing Eating Disorders,” 2012)
-Up to 20% of people with anorexia die, over a 20 year period, as a result of
complications brought on by the illness and/or suicide (2012)
-One in 200 American women suffer from anorexia (“Eating Disorder Statistics, 2006)
-Anorexia is the third most common chronic
illness among adolescents ("Eating Disorders Statistics," 2013)
-Men are less likely to seek treatment because
it is seen as a “woman’s disease” (2013)
-Over 20% of gay men suffer from anorexia (2013)
-The average lifetime duration for
anorexia is only 1.7 years (Van Wormer & Davis, 2008)
Although the majority of cases dealing with anorexia are from women, men can be anorexic too.
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| http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/male%20anorexia |
Treatment:
 |
| http://www.ifood.tv/blog/best-eating-disorder -treatment-centers-in-chicago |
Helping an individual recognize that they have an eating disorder is the biggest challenge in treating the disease. Most individuals with anorexia will deny it and only go for help after their condition has gotten too serious. The goal of
treatment is to restore normal body weights and eating habits and then to maintain it. (Usually this is
a gain of 1-3 pounds a week.) (“Anorexia Nervosa,” 2012)
Treatment
Plans Include:
-Increase social activity
-Reduce amount of physical activity
-Use scheduled eating
-Cognitive behavioral therapy
-Group therapy
-Family therapy
-Support groups online and/or in person
-Medications such as antidepressants (SSRIs) and
antipsychotics (Olanzapine)
to help treat depression or anxiety
(“Anorexia Nervosa,” 2012)
Sources:
“Anorexia Nervosa.” (2012). PubMed Health. Received
February 2, 2013 from
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001401/
“Anorexia Nervosa.” (2013). National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and
Associated
Disorders. Received February 2, 2013 from
http://www.anad.org/get-information/about-
eating-disorders/anorexia-nervosa/?gclid=CLbZmKHlmLUCFcuZ4Aod1BkAIw
“Eating Disorder Statistics.” (2006)
South Carolina Department of Mental Health. Received
February 2, 2013 from http://www.state.sc.us/dmh/anorexia/statistics.htm
“Eating Disorders Statistics.” (2013). National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and
Associated Disorders. Received February 2, 2013 from http://www.anad.org/get-
“Diagnosing Eating Disorders.” (2012). Eating Disorders Association of NZ.
Received
February 2, 2013 from http://www.ed.org.nz/index.asp?pageID=2145862939
Wormer, Katherine & Davis, Diane
Rae (2008). Addiction treatment: A strengths perspective.
California: Brooks/Cole
Arielle: I liked that you included the video with Isabelle Coro. I know she was an important figure in France, who eventually became known in the United States for her struggle with anorexia nervosa. For some, it is difficult to grasp the concept that this struggle is a disease/behavior addiction, so by watching the video clips, I think viewers are able to better understand Isabelle's personal experience and the disease. I found this article online- http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/02/07/isabelle-caro-anorexic-model-dies-her-mother-commits-suicide-how-should-the-fashion-industry-respond.html . It was about Isabelle and how her mother committed suicide only 2 months after Isabelle's death. I think this is a good example of how anorexia nervosa affects the individual and their family/friends. I think this media influence on individuals needs some control. Perhaps in the fashion industry, making it a regulation for frequent checkups to assure the individual is not causing serious harm to his or her self. I also thought it was interesting that you mentioned males also experience anorexia nervosa. I think individuals automatically assume females are the ones who experience this condition.
ReplyDeleteThat was a great article that you linked in your comment, Kristina!
DeleteFor my blog, I posted about bulimia. Both are extremely dangerous eating disorders that require a lot of attention and treatment. The video you posted about Isabelle Coro was very interesting. I'm glad a women like this was willing to take a stand against her addiction and show other women how bad this disease can become. I hope anti-anorexia campaigns like this one will make a large impact!
ReplyDeleteAri, I really liked this post about Anorexia and I thought it really brought to light a lot of issues going on in today's society. I found it so interesting and sad that only 1 in 10 people who are suffering from this disease end up with treatment and that the life expectancy is only 1.5 years with this disease. I also thought that it was very important and smart of you to mention that men also struggle with anorexia, because many people do associate this disease only with women. I think that it was great that the Italian fashion magazines were attempting to bring focus on this disease and I wish more American industries would do the same. I know that Dove has a real beauty campaign, but there are still places out there where the "super skinny" girl is seen as perfection.
ReplyDeleteI think that Arielle did a great job of summarizing anorexia and choosing great videos. I was very surprised at the fact that eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of all the mental disorders. This shows how incredible serious eating disorders are and that they need to be taken seriously. I think that the fact that many individuals who have eating disorders do not think they have a problem would make therapy and treatment very difficult until it became serious. I thought that the first video was very touching and was helpful to better understand this mental disorder.
ReplyDeleteI really like the work you did here. I once knew someone who went through an eating disorder and became anorexic in high school. Luckily after a few years of hard work she is back to somewhat normal even though you don't really come back from that fully. I liked your videos and thought they were very strong. I also was very surprised that 1 in 100 people who are anorexic die each year. While that's only 1% and I'm sure varies from year to year, that is a large population that is dying from something that's all in their head! Great work!
ReplyDeleteAri, many people do not see that an eating disorder is as serious as any other addiction, your blog showed the thruth about eating disorders. I found it interesting that some of the behavior you described, I see a lot at the school market place. I hope that whoever reads this and has an eating disorder will see how much it is hurting their body and get the help they need.
ReplyDeleteExcellent choices of video clips!
ReplyDeleteI think that the summary of that eating disorder is really good and very helpful. I was very surprised about some of the information provided because I did not expect that it was affecting that big amount of people. I was astonished about how early this eating disorder can affect, in general, teenagers; when I read from 12 to 16 years old I was very shocked about that information. I also found both videos very informative. I was shocked about the negative consequences that can lay behind these eating disorders and about how slow the recovery can be. However, both examples show that courage can help you reach any goal that you set in your life.
ReplyDeletethank you for this important post. I am Evira from Indonesia. I search many kinds of information about anorexia, so google have just brought me here. :D I frankly am obsessed with a thin body. When I was 13th years old, I had eating disorders. I was afraid of eating many kinds of foods, then I started to starving myself, ate diet pills, and exercised too much everyday, but sometimes I vomited. I had this perfect body I wanted. I saw myself in the mirror, but I did not happy with my body, and I have to do it again. I had all the symptoms you mentioned. My parents were worried about me, especially for my body and my health, but I did not care, I loved it. Then, I realized that I had this "Addiction Criteria" you mentioned, and I had to stop it. I realized that I had done the biggest mistake to myself...I had just abused my body! The next year I tried to fix all the things for my body. I started to eat foods to gain my normal weight and did exercise to make my body healthier than before.
ReplyDeleteI wonder why many people, men and women (include myself) like to abuse their body. In my opinion, They are jealous with celebrities who have a slim or a thin body; a beautiful face or a good foot. Frankly, today, I also have this kind of symptoms, but I do not want to repeat my stupid mistake. I want to do a healthy diet. Will you say that doing anorexic thing is so silly? Is it normal? What if there was obese people doing anorexic thing in order to lose much weight? I just want to have your opinion about that based on my experience :). I am so satisfied to read your post about anorexia. Many people do not care about this, but I hope people can read your post about this and start to realize that doing anorexic thing is totally wrong.
Thank you,
Evira, Indonesia