Psychological Disorder of Anorexia Nervosa - Essay Example

Anorexia Nervosa Word Count: 1746 Anorexia is a psychological disorder that affects a large section of the population, especially in the developed world. Because of his, it has become essential to ensure that this condition be studied as a psychological problem rooted in modern cultural practices so that a reasonable solution for it can be found. Anorexia is a psychological disorder, which involves individuals excessively restricting their food intake because of a fear of gaining weight in addition to their having a warped sense of how they perceive their bodies (Svenaeus 2013, p. 104). This disorder involves extreme weight loss and this condition mainly occurs among those individuals who are in their teenage and in some instances in their adulthood. The cultural implications of being overweight have led some individuals to dread gaining weight, and this has created a situation where they totally restrict their food intake, which leads metabolic and hormonal disorders. People who suffer from this disorder tend to have plenty of hunger hormones, in their blood, whose purpose is to inform the brain to consume some food. The fact that there is an increasing prevalence in this condition can be attributed to the cultural aspects of modern society and this is mainly because a large number of individuals have ended up hating their bodies and the way they look. This has led to a situation where it has become difficult for individuals to accept themselves the way they are and have instead chosen to seek the ideal physical size which is certainly not possible (Beumont & Touyz 2003, p.120). The modern society has developed a culture where there is an attraction for slim bodies and a clear aversion for overweight individuals. This culture has led to a situation where there are a large number of overweight individuals in the society who are shunned or made fun of because of the their size and this has led a number of them to limit their food intake in order to achieve the body weight which is socially acceptable. The lack of sympathy and understanding for overweight people in the society has created a situation where many individuals, although they would normally be inclined towards having a large body weight, choose to go the opposite way and the extreme dieting and food restrictions that follow lead to the development of anorexia nervosa. The society has come to be obsessed with weight and this has led many individuals to want to gain the ideal body weight, although the definition of the latter is extremely vague. The lack of self-esteem that is brought about by the obsession of individuals concerning their weight has led to a large number of them restricting their food intake and this has resulted in the development of anorexia, a psychological condition that is gaining prevalence among individuals from all walks of life. Thus, it can be said that it is the current culture, which praises the slim body when compared to other body sizes that is responsible for the increasing prevalence of anorexia nervosa. Mass media and the fashion industry have become important players in the development of modern culture and this has created a situation where they have massive influence on individual identity (Griffin & Berry 2003, p.45). The fact that a large number of individuals are fans of mass media has led to many of them attempting to imitate the lifestyles of their favourite people from mass media. Most of the actors who are shown on television programs, for example, tend to be those endowed with what can be called physical beauty and when their fans view them, they come to believe that their physical appearance is the ideal. Because of this, many individuals, even those whose body weight can be considered normal, end up becoming obsessed with reducing their weight and even after doing so for some time, they continue believing that they are still overweight and this leads them into serious health crises. The need to ensure that they have the ideal body weight, as it is normally propagated by mass media, has led to many individuals in the society to be affected by such psychological disorders as anorexia nervosa, which is responsible for an increasing number of health problems in the society. The fashion industry has become one of the biggest casualties of this disorder and this is mainly because a number of models, due to the requirements of their jobs, have become obsessed with maintaining a slim figure, which is appealing to their employers. This has led to some of them becoming victims of anorexia nervosa and the damage has further been spread because their fans, believing that they are the epitome of physical beauty, have also come to try to get the same physical size. The result has been that an overwhelming number of individuals have come to be influenced by the fashion industry in their attempt to lose weight and this has led then into the trap of anorexia nervosa. The school environment where there is little tolerance for overweight individuals, many who are subjected to bulling by their colleagues, has also worked towards the development of incidents of anorexia nervosa (Hoof, Raaijmakers, Beek, Hale & Aleva 2008, p.773). One of the reasons for the development of anorexia among some school-going individuals is that there are a number of them who are subjected to bullying either because of their size or because they are very focused on their academics. The result of this bullying is that they come to be obsessed with their size, believing that it is because they are overweight that they are being bullied. The result of such incidents is that they become obsessed with losing weight and this leads them into developing anorexia nervosa, which is an extremely difficult psychological disorder to deal with. A large number of those students who have this disorder do not even realise that they have it and it normally takes very observant parents to realise that their children have developed it. In such instances, it is very important that they receive medical attention immediately because to do otherwise would only be making the situation much worse than it already is. However, the disappointing factor that affects and determines the increasing rates of anorexia among young people, usually in their teenage, has been that it is difficult to notice if they have it. This has created a situation where it is hard to know those individuals who are affected by it so that measures can be put in place to deal with the issue in a satisfactory manner. One would therefore suggest that the culture, which develops in schools, plays a significant role in the development of conditions that are responsible for the rise of anorexia nervosa among the students. Therefore, it is because of this that an attempt should be made to change school culture to help those students with low self-esteem to be able to regain it through other means. In the modern culture, it has become common for parents to divorce and in many cases; it leads to a negative effect on their children. Some children, especially in their early teenage, who develop anorexia tend to do so because of the low-esteem that they have as a result of their belief that they are the ones at fault for their parents separating (Berghold & Lock 2002, p.380). This has created a situation where because of the lack of the necessary parental support as well as the presence of both parents in the home, the children’s attention is diverted into such obsessions as observing their weight so that they can be good enough for their parents. There is often nobody to guide them appropriately so that they can realise that their parents’ separation is not their fault and that they have to continue living their lives in the knowledge that they have the love of both their parents. There are also certain instances where parents are hardly ever involved in the lives of their children and this is mainly because they do not spent a lot of time at home due to work. The result is that they are not able to notice when their children develop strange eating behaviour, which is a sign that they are developing anorexia. This creates a scenario where it leads these children into living a life, which is not fulfilling to them and in the process; the void, which has not been filled by the active presence of a parent, is often filled by an obsession with food or the lack of it (Soban 2006, p.252). In addition, some parents put a lot of pressure on their children not only to succeed but also to watch their weight. This leads their children into a situation where they feel so much pressure that they end up developing a feeling of inadequacy because they are not able to fulfil the expectations of their parents. In conclusion, some cultural aspects of the modern world have come to affect the way in which the condition known as anorexia nervosa develops. In addition, a definition for this condition, mainly that it is a psychological disorder that affects a large section of the population, has been provided. Further, the fact that there is an increasing prevalence in this condition can be attributed to the cultural aspects of modern society and this is mainly because a large number of individuals have ended up having a dislike for their bodies and the way they look. The latter has led to a situation where individuals have come to reduce the intake of their food in order to achieve their desired body weight but this has been proven untrue because it instead leads to an obsession, which becomes anorexia nervosa. Moreover, mass media and the fashion industry have become important players in the development of modern culture and this has created a situation where they have massive influence on individual identity. Furthermore, the school environment where there is little tolerance for overweight individuals, many who are subjected to bulling by their colleagues, has also worked towards the development of incidents of anorexia nervosa. Finally, as has been discussed above, in the modern culture, it has become common for parents to divorce and in many cases; it leads to a negative effect on their children. Therefore, it is important for steps to be taken to combat the factors, which lead to development of this disorder because to do otherwise would be a healthcare disaster. References Beumont, P.J.V. & Touyz, S.W. 2003, "What kind of illness is anorexia nervosa?", European child & adolescent psychiatry, 12: 120-4. Berghold, K. M., & Lock, J. 2002. Assessing guilt in adolescents with anorexia nervosa. American Journal of Psychotherapy, 56: 378-90. Griffin, J. & Berry, E.M. 2003, "A modern day holy anorexia? Religious language in advertising and anorexia nervosa in the West", European journal of clinical nutrition, 57: 43-51. Hoof, A.v., Raaijmakers, Q.A.W., Beek, Y.v., Hale,William W., I.,II & Aleva, L. 2008, "A Multi-mediation Model on the Relations of Bullying, Victimization, Identity, and Family with Adolescent Depressive Symptoms", Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 37: 772-782. Soban, C. 2006, "What about the Boys?: Addressing Issues of Masculinity within Male Anorexia Nervosa in a Feminist Therapeutic Environment", International Journal of Mens Health, 5:251-267. Svenaeus, F. 2013, "Anorexia Nervosa And The Body Uncanny: A Phenomenological Approach", Philosophy, Psychiatry & Psychology : PPP, 20: 81-91,104. Read More