Literary Analysis of Anorexia - Research Paper Example

?Anorexia Definition Anorexia nervosa is condition in which the individual refuses or is unable to maintain a minimally normal weight. Patients of this condition have profound disturbances of body image or have intense fear of weight gain despite being moderately or severely underweight (Cushing, 2011). Variables Two variables which influence the development of anorexia are body image and neurobiology. Hypothesis The hypothesis in this research article is that "Poor body image and changes in the neurobiological system contribute to anorexia nervosa." The articles selected are summarized below: Article-1: Derenne, J.L., Beresin, E.V. (2006). Body Image, Media, and Eating Disorders. Acad Psychiatry, 30, 257-261. On one side while the prevalence and incidence of obesity is rising, on the other side, the rates of eating disorders too have soared, both in men and women. Some of the common eating disorders are anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. Infact, adolescents are challenged with these conditions and the etiological factors for development of problems at such an young age appear to be a interplay of several factors like media projection of thin personality, eating and exercise patterns in the family and surplus availability of tasty, but non-nutritious food. The media provides ideas for various means of losing weight in order to achieve the thin ideal. Information delivered by media thus are often based on fad trends, with financial incentive and without any scientific backing. The net result is that several adolescents feel the cultural pressure for becoming thinner, more than that required for optimum health and they attempt to fit into this through nutritional choices that are either poor or dangerous or both. Throughout history, female beauty has been standardized and is often unrealistic and actually difficult to attain. Those belonging to higher socioeconomic strata are likely to conform to these beauty standards. Infact, women are willing to both endure pain and sacrifice comfort. Adolescents are often concerned about their weight and shape. In addition to the real health risks of obesity and poor eating habits, these youngsters are also exposed to thin beauty ideals that are unrealistic. It is very unfortunate that there is overemphasis of thinness among youngsters, because of which they equate thinness and beauty with success and health. The media provides ideas for various means of losing weight in order to achieve the thin ideal. Information delivered by media thus are often based on fad trends, with financial incentive and without any scientific backing. The net result is that several adolescents feel the cultural pressure for becoming thinner, more than that required for optimum health and they attempt to fit into this through nutritional choices that are either poor or dangerous or both While the reasons for anorexia among adolescents are varied, in majority of teenagers, the motivating factors are dissatisfaction with body image and desire to appear thinner. Losing weight attempts are often associated with different behavioral changes like alterations in the regular eating habits and change in the frequency of exercising. Adolescent girls who are dissatisfied with their image and are overweight are likely to resort to dieting. The more the degree of overweight, more is the risk of dieting and disordered eating. Infact, there are reports that parental criticism of the adolescent's weight, pressure to lose weight and parental role modeling of dieting are associated with increased rate of dieting and increased risk of development of dieting behaviors that are extreme. Perceived over weight, low body pride and dissatisfaction of body image among adolescent females are consistent correlates of binge eating and anorexia. Those with anorexia and other eating disorders, especially purgers perform poorly at school and they are more likely to be active sexually and frequently get involved in sexual or physical abuse. They are also more likely to attempt suicide. Purging and dieting are both associated with family stress, emotional turmoil, negative body image and lower connectedness with family members. Article:2 Kaye, W. (2007). Neurobiology of Anorexia and Bulimia Nervosa Purdue Ingestive Behavior Research Center Symposium Influences on Eating and Body Weight over the Lifespan: Children and Adolescents. Physiol Behav., 94(1), 121–135. Both anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa are related to each other, but with unknown origin. they mostly begin in women during adolescence. the are chronic and also disabling and characterized by aberrant patterns of feeding behavior and regulation of weight. They also have deviant attitudes with regard to weight and body shape. In anorexia, there exists an inexplicable fear towards weight gain along with unrelenting obsession with fatness along with increasing cachexia leading to a protracted course. The condition is associated with extreme psychologic and medical morbidity. The pathogenesis of anorexia is poorly understood. Anorexia nervosa is mostly present in women during adolescence and occurs due to cultural pressures for thinness. according to twin studies, there does exist genetic contribution to the development of the disease. These individuals have complete suppression of appetite and at the same time exhibit ego-syntonic resistance to various feeding drives and at the same time being preoccupied with various food and eating rituals. Neuropeptide dysregulation of the central nervous system contributes to abnormal functioning of various hormones in the body, affecting finally mechanisms of food intake. Even serotonergic and tryptophan pathways have been incriminated in the pathogenesis of anorexia. The patients tend to be vegetarians, have monotonous choices regarding food intake and select unusual food combinations. They also have ritualized eating. The symptoms are often puzzling with motor restlessness and excessive exercise. The individuals have increased rates of lifetime diagnoses of depressive and anxiety disorders and also of obsessive compulsive disorder. They are also characterized by neuroticism, perfectionism, negative emotionality, low self directedness, harm avoidance and low cooperativeness. They are often of perseverative and obsessive type with rigid personality style and they have difficulty in shifting sets. Several consequences of anorexia exists and it is yet unclear whether the disease itself causes the problems or the malnutrition contributes to the symptoms. Of all the pathogenetic mechanisms which have been proposed for the development of anorexia nervosa, neuronal modulation of 5-HT is said the predate the onset of anorexia nervosa and contribute to various premorbid symptoms of anxiety and inhibition. There may be a role of inherent dysregulation of reward and emotional pathways which can also get involved in the hedonic aspects of feeding, thus making individuals vulnerable to appetitive behaviors that are disturbing. Restriction of food intake is reinforcing powerfully because of its ability to provide respite from dysphoric mood temporarily. There are several factors which act on these vulnerabilities to cause anorexia during adolescence itself. One is the exacerbation of 5-HT dysregulation by pubertal female gonadal steroids, next is the cultural or societal pressures that contribute to anxiousness and obsessional temperament. References Cushing, T.A. (2011). Anorexia Nervosa. Medscape. Retrieved from http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/805152-overview Derenne, J.L., Beresin, E.V. (2006). Body Image, Media, and Eating Disorders. Acad Psychiatry, 30, 257-261. Kaye, W. (2007). Neurobiology of Anorexia and Bulimia Nervosa Purdue Ingestive Behavior Research Center Symposium Influences on Eating and Body Weight over the Lifespan: Children and Adolescents. Physiol Behav., 94(1), 121–135. Read More