Causes of Anorexia Nervosa,Its Process, Stages, and Effects - Essay Example

Nutrition Paper Anorexia Nervosa Anorexia Nervosa is an eating disorder that develops an intense fear in the patient towards gaining weight. The patient fear gaining fat in his body and is obsessed with gaining a body weight that is unhealthy. Anorexic patients often deny their mental condition because they have the wrong idea of their own body image. They consider themselves fat and are constantly in the pursuit of losing weight. Research has uncovered that patients suffering from anorexia have abnormal levels of digestive hormones. These include leptin and ghrelin (Shepphird, 60). Causes of Anorexia Nervosa The exact cause of this problem is not identified but researchers have been able to point out that Anorexia Nervosa is caused by multiple causes, which are listed below: Physiological Causes People surviving from anorexia are perfectionists in nature who find it difficult to handle failure and stress. Such people are obsessive and compulsive with a tendency towards depression. They believe that they are inadequate. People who view themselves critically are more prone to develop anorexia. Biological Causes Research on the biological causes of anorexia suggests that people with high levels of cortisol and low levels of serotonin and norepinephrine have a tendency towards anorexia since these hormones control stress and general well-being of a person. Also some people are genetically prone towards the disease if it runs in the family (Shepphird, 58). The Disease Process, Stages and Effects The first stage of Anorexia as identified by research is when a person loses a good amount of weight in a relatively short time period. This is then followed by praises from friends, families and acquaintances. The patient gives too much worth to these praises and starts fearing an increase in weight. This then develops an obsession among the patient to limit or reduce weight. From herein begins, the disease process. In the early stages, the patient develops a compulsion towards physical exercise. Exercise starts taking up most of the patient’s time and he ignores his social life. At the same time, the patient starts obsessing about food. They start researching about food, calories and diets. They even try to implement these in their own diet and often try to hide these details from their friends and family. In the second stage, the patient becomes preoccupied with his body image. He starts focusing on individual parts of his body where he assumes that he needs to lose weight. The person feels basically fine in his stage but starvation is becoming quite common in the second stage. The third stage occurs when the patient starts to starve himself. He starts wearing warmer clothes as starvation leads to cold. The patient also displays many other emotions as a direct result of starvation. These include depression, anxiety, paranoia, irritability, insomnia and exhaustion. Symptoms of Anorexia Nervosa It is difficult for immediate friends and families to ignore Anorexia Nervosa. The symptoms appear on the body and eating habits of the patient. A patient suffering from Anorexia follows a strict diet even though he does not weigh much. Such people also lie about their eating habits; claiming to have eaten food before. Patients are preoccupied with food generally. They constantly think about the food, the calories in eat food, diet plans etc. The appearance of the patient is also an indicator of the disease. Patients usually lose weight dramatically. Even though they have considerable weight, they still feel fat. They are obsessed with their weight and spend time in the mirror checking out their bodies. There also some symptoms that may not be visible to everyone. Anorexic patients follow a punishing exercise regime. They are prone to vomiting after each meal time and disappear in the bathroom to prevent others from knowing. Treatment of Anorexia Nervosa Treatment of Anorexia Nervosa occurs in three steps. These include attaining a healthy weight, eating more food and changing the general attitude of the patient towards food and body image. At times medical treatment is required when the patient needs to be hospitalized. Other than that nutritional treatment and counseling are the main treatment process. A nutritionist would help the patient in developing the right diet plan according to his body weight and structure. Counseling is important to remove the patient’s attitude about good and to include a positive attitude in the patient. Current Research Current research on the topic is focused on uncovering the effects of medications to treat anorexia. For this, antidepressants have been found to be effective. Also the biological cause of the disease is being studied using brain scans of females suffering from the disease. Bulimia Nervosa Bulimia nervosa is another eating disorder where the patient is often found to be indulged in binge eating. This refers to consuming large amounts of food within a short time frame. Such patients are struck by guilt after a bout of eating, so they try to get rid of the food. Causes of Bulimia Like Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia is also a complex diseases caused by a number of factors. These can be divided into biological and psychological causes. These are listed below: Biological Research indicates gene plays role in this disease, however such research is still in its preliminary stages. Psychological Bulimia, like anorexia, occurs in patients who are over achievers. They have feelings of inadequacy. They are dissatisfied with their lives and have low self-esteem. The Disease Process, Stages and Effects Bulimic Patients are often involved in a vicious cycle of the disease. This begins with the patient wanting a thin body. In order to achieve their targeted body weight, they try to impose a restrictive diet on themselves. This restrictive diet is often too hard on the patient and he suffers from pangs of hunger and starvation. Even though they try to control these urges, patients often lose their resolve and start eating food. Because their body was previously deprived, the presence of food makes them indulge in an episode of binge eating. After these patients have consumed too much food, they start feeling guilty. This guilt then makes them throw up the food, use laxatives or increase their physical exercise to the point of punishment. This guilt also reinforces the resolve of the patient to attain the perfect body weight. In the early stages of the disease, the patient may not seem very different from many other people who are concerned about their body weight. However, as the disease progresses, bulimic patients become more concerned about their food intake. Their guilt continues to increase as they feel failure in attaining their perfect body shape. This leads to increase in bathroom trips to purge the food. In the extreme cases, the patient’s washroom smells of vomit. Often traces of vomit can be seen in toilet seats, sinks etc. Patients start using more mouthwash or minty chewing gums to get rid of the smell of vomit. Also the teeth of the patient start to yellow from the digestive juices of the stomach that come out with vomit. The fingers become chuckled from the patient’s repeated attempts to put their finger in the mouth to vomit. Symptoms Bulimia shares many of the symptoms of anorexia and has its own special ones. In Bulimia, the patient finds it difficult to control his eating. When he starts eating, he is unable to control himself. Even when the patient eats so much food, there is no weight gain in his body. Such people often have extreme episodes of eating; either they starve themselves or they stuff themselves to the point of often feeling physical pain. Bulimic patients try to hide their food and often wish to eat food in privacy. There are also physically visible signs in the patient. These include yellowed teeth, vomit smell in the washroom, chuckled finger, chipmunk cheeks etc. Treatment The treatment of bulimia requires that the patient understand that he has a problem and wants to make the change in himself. Once the patient is ready for the change, therapy is recommended for the patient. In this therapy, the main aim is to break the cycle of eating and vomiting (or exercising). The therapists could inculcate a positive body image in the patient and make him like his body. Recent Research Recent research on the topic is related to finding new solutions to the problem. Online cognitive behavior therapy is being considered as a relevant therapy. More research is focused on the trying to find the exact cause of the disease. An Ideally Healthy Person The ideal weight for women is 100 pounds for a woman measuring 5 feet. With each additional inch, 5 more pounds are added to the ideal weight. For men, the ideal weight is 106 pounds for 5 feet with an additional 6 pounds with every additional inch. The ideal BMI for both men and women is between 18.5 and 24.9. BMI above or below this range is characterized as overweight and underweight (Edelstein and Sharlin, 368). Basal Resting Metabolism rate is the energy expenditure that the body incurs while at rest. It differs with the change in body weight of each person. The Harris-Benedict Equation measures the RMR in the following equation: RMR Men: 66.47+13.75 (wt in kg) + 5(height in cm) -6.76 (age in years) RMR Women: 655.1+9.56 (wt in kg) + 1.85(height in cm) -4.68 (age in years) (Edelstein and Sharlin, 327) Body Fat Distribution is also important to understand a healthy body. Each person stores fat in different areas and this affects their health later on. Some people store fat in their waist and tummies and their bodies are referred to as apple shaped. There are others who store fat in their hips and buttocks; these bodies are referred as pear shaped. Apple shaped people are more prone to heart diseases and diabetes. Pear shaped people have higher levels of HDL which reduces risk of heart attack. Work Cited Edelstein, Sari and Sharlin, Judith, Life Cycle Nutrition: an Evidence-Based Approach, NY: Jones & Bartlett Publishers, 2010. Shepphird, Sari, 100 Questions & Answers About Anorexia Nervosa, NY: Jones & Bartlett Learning, 2009 Read More