Eating Disorders: Anorexia Nervosa

1. Erica Hernandez Mariam A. Kay L. Eating Disorders: Anorexia Nervosa

2. Anorexia Nervosa-aneating disorder in which a normal weight person (usually an adolescentfemale) diets and becomes significantly (15% or more) underweight, yet still feeling fat, continue to starve

3. What is the difference between Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia? The key difference is the persons weight. People who suffer from both disorders tend to be obsessed with food, and some anorexics are at least 15% below the average weight , bulimics tend to weight at the correct weight or slightly above.

4. Psychology behind it: Eating disorders do not provide a telltale sign of childhood sexual abuse. Parents pay a key role in their children's eating disorders. If the mother complains about her weight or image then their children will be more likely to think and act the same. Anorexia patients tend to have low self-evaluations and often come from families that are competitive, high achieving and protective. Genetics, too , may influence susceptibility to eating disorders. If twins are identical rather than fraternal, the chances of the other twin’s sharing the disorder are somewhat greater. In one national study, nearly one half of US women reported feeling negative about their apperance and preoccupied with being or becoming overweight

5. Cultural differences Body ideals vary from culture to culture. In India, women students rate their ideals as close to their actual shape. In Africa, where thinness can signal poverty, AIDS, and hunger, the more prosperous are plump-the bigger the better.

6. Media The media sets standards on how we should look and act. Part of the cultural pressure is surely transmitted by the “thin-ideal” in fashion magazines, advertisements and even toys.

7. Signs and treatment for Anorexia Key and important signs; • Skipping meals • Making excuses for not eating • Eating only a few certain "safe" foods, usually those low in fat and calories • Adopting rigid meal or eating rituals, such as cutting food into tiny pieces or spitting food out after chewing • Cooking elaborate meals for others but refusing to eat • Repeated weighing of themselves • Frequent checking in the mirror for perceived flaws • Complaining about being fat • Not wanting to eat in public Treatment: When you have anorexia, you may need several types of treatment. If your life is in immediate danger, you may need treatment in a hospital emergency room for such issues as a heart rhythm disturbance, dehydration, electrolyte imbalances or psychiatric problems Nutritional counseling, Nutritional rehab are the main treatments.