Researching Anorexia - Essay Example

?Researching Anorexia Every one admits that anorexia is an ever increasing problem within the contemporary medical world. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) has placed forth an analysis through which one may be diagnosed with this disease. Four characteristics have been identified that would be used to detail whether the individual is suffering from anorexia nervosa. These are; 1) refusal to maintain or gain body weight above the normally accepted weight for that age and height; 2) an internal fear of gaining weight or becoming fat even if they have been described as being underweight; 3) any recorded or cited disturbance that the individual portrays when the issue of body weight is considered and especially if it is in relation to self-evaluation and; 4) absence of 3 consecutive menstrual cycles in the postmenarchal females (Overbeke, 2008:49). This is a medical explanation of the term and the disease as a whole. However, researchers believe that the statistics given of having 8 out of every 100,000 people per year being diagnosed with the disease being a falsehood. Different explanations always offer different views which result from different schools of thoughts and theoretical backgrounds. Biological and social definitions also play a vital role and the researchers have to choose different schools and adhere to their definitions during their research processes (Overbeke, 2008:49). However, the different schools could also be an impediment in offering the ideal means of achieving these results. Coming up with an ideal definition of anorexia could be difficult and thus affect the way research, especially social research is conducted. The report herein will seek to venture into the different definitions that have been offered concerning this disease and the effects of the definitions of research as a whole. Different Definitions Biologists believe that the main cause of anorexia often is in the bodily adaptation mechanisms and the failures leads to the development of anorexia. Obstetric complications which may lead to maternal anemia, diabetes mellitus and neonatal cardiac have been associated with the disease. Genetics has also been cited as playing a part in the development of anorexia with heritance ranging from 56 to 84% of the studied patients (Lake, Staiger and Glowinski, 2000: 84). Serotonin dysregulation in particular areas that are linked to anxiety and mood control has also been seen as a possible cause. This is because starvation is hypothesized to be a response to these effects and this reduces the serotonin toxic and thus reduces one’s ability to feed due to decreased activity within the brain’s main receptors. Nutritional deficiencies such as those linked to zinc have also been speculated as playing a role in the cause of anorexia. Though it is not in the mainstream, it is seen to be part of the accelerating factors that lead to deepening pathology of the disease (Hoek and van Hoeken, 2003:387). Socialists place cultural factors as some of the issues that help propel these people into poor feeding. The images that are strewn all over the different types of media are of thin people and this really affects those who are presumed to be overweight. This means that it is a psychological or mental notion that has been occasioned by what the media presumes to be the ideal weight of a teenager. Models, dancers, gender, ethnicity and socioeconomic status have been seen as the key propellants into anorexia amongst children and teenagers in the western world (Abbate, Gramaglia and Fassino, 2006:68). Models are often portrayed as being what beauty should be defined along and the media whitewash sweeps its pressure on females mostly to start fasting as a way of attaining the shapes. Those in the lower income earning bracket are least at risk of being diagnosed with anorexia compared to those in their higher bracket and are white. Non-whites are least likely to be affected (Walstrom, 2000:761). This leads to poor dietary and thus, lack nutrition in their bodies. Swedish researchers conducted a research on the relationship of anorexia and autism and whether there is any credibility regarding this. They established that at least 23% of the teenagers being studied were on the autism spectrum and tended to get wore compared to the rest of the affected teenagers. They were however treatable if behavioral and pharmacological therapies were combined and used on the participants (Overbeke, 2008:50). Implications of these Definitions in Relation to Anorexia Research is expected to be a systematic activity that is undertaken as a way of increasing the stock of knowledge regarding a certain topic or field of interest. However, the researchers take into consideration most of what other experts in the field have to say about the issue research require extensive interaction and creativity in coming up with different ways of ensuring that what they want to conduct research on is not under any conflict with what they believe but raises questions which require research to provide the way forward on the same (Neuman, 2006:64). Many have come up with refuting claims on some of the acclaimed definitions as well as delivery methods and have caused so much stir before their works can be accepted in the mainstream media. The issue of anorexia falls under the same category. Medics have been taken as the core sources of information regarding the issue of anorexia with their definitions used as the basis for most of the researches conducted regarding the disease. However, it was established that cultural aspects also play a great role in the cause of the disease (Abbate, Gramaglia and Fassino, 2006:68). This led to more work being done in this area to try and establish whether this was the truth. Many results came up and the media were the main target for this cultural influence. Many got a chance to look at the issue from a different direction and have since opened up to the different ways through which anorexia is treated. Social research mainly deals with observation of subjects within their ideal environment and looking out for any unique operations that may affect their way of life within their environment. They have laws that rely on universal generalizations about a class of facts that has been observed within a particular setting. The observation clause creates a chance for the researcher to witness real happenings and provide some conclusions based on what they have witnessed (Haralambos and Holborn, 2004:100). This means that the facts produced by the DSM-IV regulations are stringent and do not cover the most basic questions of why these characteristics come about in the first place. The medical explanations dwell on the psychological emotions that lead to the refusal to eat while the socialists look for a reason as to why that emotion has come about. They look for the source of the problem from the surroundings and test their results through validating and ensuring they are reliable. Social researchers also want to understand how the culture aspect plays a role in the definition of anorexia (Neuman, 2006:72). The fact that the media, such as the print, motion and the internet have a great impact in the way people think. Each individual behaves in the manner that allows them to feel wanted and as a part of the general social class. However, different cultural practices have come about and have hindered the way people view their future. Many ethnic communities believe in eating healthy and overweight persons are considered as part of the society in general. Thin people are considered to be lacking or poor. However, the media have penetrated into these societies and have made it difficult for people to focus on their cultural aspects like they did in the past (Bardone-Cone and Cass, 2007:537). When a researcher has such information regarding such communities, they can get to the urban areas and look for people from these cultures to fully understand what they feel about their future and how they are conducting themselves at the moment. The western people are already known to have ascribed to the notion that thin is beautiful and that it portrays an array of youthfulness in an individual. This has made self-image part of everyday living as people seek to retain their youthfulness and their image in the society (Firebaugh, 2008:45). Those who are rich view this as a way of maintaining their fame and their wealth while portraying a graceful lifestyle. Those who are not aware of what it takes to maintain such an image will start starving themselves while believing that they are on the right track. As a social scientist, such are the issues that arise and are mainly based on what one views as part of the everyday livelihood in an individual case study. However, the case study will only be considered a success if the previous preconceived ideologies do not blind the researcher in conducting their current inquisitions and the contrary evidence that may have been missed during the previous researches (Walstrom, 2000:764). As a social scientist, the most important attribute is coming up with a watertight means of achieving the end result without suppressing the obvious evidence that can be witnessed from afar. This will entail looking for the differences that make a difference. The medical definitions may offer stringent characteristics that the researchers ought to follow (Firebaugh, 2008:47). However, a social scientist will look at the difference between the different communities and come up with a hypothesis on why the results in certain areas differ from others. Anorexia is thus a disease that may be defined from different perspectives. However, the impact of each definition is a direct reflection of one’s background and what they hold as the absolute truth. Several studies have been done to determine the extent to which social factors play in the way people make decisions regarding their feeding habits. Many others have regarded the way medical complications may play a role in affecting an individual’s feeding habits (Bardone-Cone and Cass, 2007:539). Social scientists have to get past any inhibitions and preconceived ideologies to come up with better explanations that the medical researches may overlook. The medical definition still stands. However, so does the cultural definition. The difference is actually cited by those careful to portray their definitions as being from a specific point of view or from a specific school of thought. Social scientists face some prejudices as they try to come up with a definition that explains that which many may outlook within the first instance (le Grange and Eisler, 2009:155). For instance, the fact that second hand exposures could lead to anorexia cannot be explained in from a clinical point of view. Instead, the cultural aspects have to be taken into consideration as a way of determining that which the clinical methods may assume as being non-existent (Winfrey, 2001:43). Second hand exposures are mainly a matter of cultural inscriptions on what the society defines as being the most ideal for the rest to follow. Instead of creating a chance for the victims of such an exposure to express why they have resorted to such tactics, many clinicians will go straight to conclusions based on DSM-IV characterizations. That is why social networks are seen as part of a greater influence on the way people behave and how they manage to cause such a ripple effect may be studied through social research (Davies and Lipsey, 2003:424). The social network and the media have played a great role in bringing forth a new form of culture that people need to fully understand. Psychological effects of what people view are enormous. However, the fact that they take time to develop may lead to many dismissing the facts. Those with greater experience believe in creating an environment that others can learn without having to go through these exposures. Some do not approve of these methods where some create sites that educate people on anorexia (Davies and Lipsey, 2003:424). These are the sites that are taunted as following the social methodologies that seek to educate people about the different ways that they can attain the best through better diets and other measures that keep them healthy clinical definitions offer solutions based on the medical aspect rather than dealing with the behavioral attributes that need to be considered at all times (Thambirajah, 2007:145). Social influences play a great role and clinical researchers need to accept this and look for a way of making sure that they adapt what is expected and what is scheduled to help the victims rather than treat them for what has been taunted as part of their body adaptations (Wilson, Peebles, Hardy andLitt, 2006:1637). Some believe that brains can be scanned and children assisted while still young to ensure they do not get anorexic. However, these are just possibilities that the medical fraternity can utilize to reassure their patients of better feeding habits later in their livelihood. If the social scientists would have their way, people would be trained on what they would watch, how they would react or behave in relation to what they see and how they should perceive their body image in relation to what their social constructs portray (Tierney, 2006:184). Mental disorders, as clinical researchers have established, may be related to anorexia in more ways than one. As such, they suggest that anorexia is a part of the mental illness and thus the DSM-IV categorization. Even if these people have been cited as suffering from selective eating disorders, there are reasons as to why they engage in such activities. Most engage due to certain problems that may be inherent while others do it due to their circumstances (Winfrey, 2001:45). However, a bigger percentage engages in this selective eating as a way of attractive the image portrayed by the media. The illness ay be detailed in several journals but the importance of this cannot be overlooked when doing both the clinical and social research. Understanding behaviors and cultural influences will provide a better platform through which better results can be achieved as a whole (Treasure, Claudino and Zucker, 2010:584). This may cripple the livelihoods of many people but the most important aspect is looking for the interrelationship rather than assuming that either is flawed in determining the cause of the disease. But the social and the clinical perspectives differ by far. The habits that people engage in are as a result of some motivation which is mainly extrinsic rather than intrinsic. Every individual has an ability to influence their future without harming themselves. However, the entrance of the media and the use of the social media as a way of influencing developing countries into imitating cultures that the west has portrayed as being the best due to their political and economic influence are quite worrying (Rich, 2006:296). When people start hiding from the social institutions because they are afraid they may not fit into the society is quite alarming. Social scientists will seek to engage these individuals in understanding what their main reasoning is and how they can achieve better results without feeling like outsiders. Clinicians may generalize the problem as a mental attitude that affects people with certain genetic attributes or underwent certain complications in their lives (Williams and Reid, 2007:144). However, the truth is that cultural influences occasioned by the media plays the greatest role in anorexia. Clinical definitions may define the symptoms to watch out for but the social scientists will look at the rock-bottom issue that has led to this and thus create a chance for each of the individuals to engage in behavioral change rather than characterizing people based on their conditions (Tchanturia, Davies and Campbell, 2007:14). What the clinical definition and researches do not offer is an explanation that determines or tells of the reason that people decide to be anorexic. There are those who argue that anorexia give a sense of self-control, confidence, sense of achievement, a desire for self-destruction as well as a thinner body. This is what the media praises and what has been old out to many who rely on the media for most of their education practices (Rich, 2006:297). If this is the reason, the clinical definition or what many consider as expert definitions will always fail in getting to the real issue that makes people turn to anorexia as a way of meeting their inherent goals of fitting into the society. Lower self-esteem, lower self-efficacy and negative perceptions about their bodies are not classified under some clinical definitions or any mental disorders (Rich, 2006:297-8). Instead, they are behavioral and cognitive attributes that require therapeutic treatment to get by. These are the subjects that researchers in the social field will identify in their research regarding the disease. It goes to show that clinical definition may hamper the growth of research by a great deal if the researchers do not seek alternative methods of getting to the core of issues surrounding human beings. Every disease has a social reason and its occurrence will always be a part of the cultural influences that may lie within and may be invisible at the first glance. By picking certain definitions and assuming others, the researcher will be working on preconceived ideologies that may hamper greater intuitiveness later on in their studies (Overbeke, 2008:52). The clinical definition may offer the hypothesis that the social scientists may use to look for future trend as a way of safeguarding the society. However, it is important for both research methods to co-exist since they serve different tasks in the world of knowledge intuitiveness as well as create a chance for the knowledge about the subjects in question to be fully explored (Ball and Mitchell, 2004:304). Conclusion The two bodies of knowledge are an important addition to the knowledge of anorexia. However, it is important for each body to embrace its methodologies and work on meeting their goals through their research methods. Anorexia is both a clinical and social disease. However, the social scientists should not be barred from further exploring the cause of the disease by the definitions that have been widely acclaimed by many experts under the DSM-IV characterizations. The clinicians should also work on the disease from their end and the results should be harmonized through the evidence-based practice that has been approved as a way of gaining better knowledge of some of the diseases that are prevalent in the modern world. Despite the problems posed by the two bodies of knowledge, their autonomy should be respected and the avenues through which interdependence is unavoidable should be respected too. References Abbate D.G., Gramaglia, A.P. & Fassino, S. (2006) ‘Eating disorders and the Internet: Cure and curse.’ Eating and Weight Disorders EWD, vol. 11, no. 2, pp. 68-71. Ball J. & Mitchell, P. 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(Producer) (2001) Girls who don’t eat: The Oprah Winfrey Show, American Broadcasting Company, Chicago. Read More