Eating Disorders Are Common Nowadays - Research Paper Example

Eating Disorders Research Question Since the late twentieth century the number of people suffering from eating disorders has greatly increased. The most common among these is anorexia nervosa which is a psychological eating disorder. This disorder is noticed in people of all age groups, all races and it affects both the sexes. Though this disorder is found in all races but its incidence amongst the whites is higher as compared to other races. It is more commonly seen in girls but about ten percent of the cases are boys. It is also seen in all age groups starting from the age of eight years and there have been cases reported of 60 year old people suffering from it. But a higher incidence is reported in teenagers. Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder with the highest mortality rate compared to any other psychological disorder that is five to twenty percent of the sufferers die because of the condition (Schoemaker, 2004). This research would further revolve around this factor and it would see as to if the eating disorder is particularly affecting girls more than the boys or not. Hypothesis Over these years data has been collected to find out if adolescents are particularly more prone towards the eating disorders. It has been found that this is true to a certain extent and I believe that the conclusion would clearly reflect that adolescents are more affected by these disorders. Literature Review Anorexia nervosa has a higher incidence among girls. Media, family and peer pressure are the causes which contribute towards this disease. A person suffering from this condition eats less checking upon the calories in their food again and again. They have a tendency to check their weight after short intervals. The patients become dehydrated and malnourished. Hence, anorexia nervosa is a serious condition which needs immediate medical help because it can greatly affect the physical condition of the body as well as the mental wellness of the patient (Blackwell 2007). Adolescence is a developing stage of life in which the adolescent may go through a normal life or he might undergo eating disorders. It is in this stage that the adolescents begin to develop their views about life and some settle with the view that being thin is ‘cool’. Researchers in the University of Middletown found that young males were also affected these days by habits of weight control which may lead to disorders such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. White female adolescents are believed to be practicing more of these habits as put forward by the research. It is believed that weight control methods have increased amongst male adolescents because of the idealistic beliefs of the society about thinness. The study suggested that culture and fashion also affects the perspectives of health and wellbeing in an adolescent (Blackwell 2007). Adolescence is a period of development as put down by an article by Paus. It is during adolescence that the brain develops such that the individual develops maturity and views in accordance to the stages of development. It is during these developmental stages that eating disorders such as anorexia can arise because of the easy incorporation of ideas in these stages. It is not only the development of brain in adolescence but also the development of cognitive abilities during these years which affects the psychological aspects of an individual. Thus it can be said that adolescence is a time period in which the person can either develop some disorder or can get through it. Anorexia Nervosa is one disorder which can occur in these times of adolescence (Steinberg 2005; Hoek and Hoeken 2003). Theory of Erikson pertaining to Adolescent Stages According to the psychologists every human being goes through different stages in life to develop himself. Erikson was one of the psychologists who gave out eight stages of life which everyone alive has to go through. Following are the stages of life as given by Erikson Infant:- This is the first stage in life in which the baby develops his/her skills to cope up with crisis. If their needs are met then the babies would successfully learn to trust whereas if they are not met then they'd learn to mistrust. For example if a baby is not provided with proper food or clothing he'd not grow up to be obedient to the caretakers. Toddler:- A baby enters the stage of toddler when he enters his first year of life. It goes on till the third year of life. In this stage the toddlers learn to know about themselves as to what they are capable of. That is if a toddler is allowed to become independent through his actions he can become that in this stage however if he is discouraged to do actions then it is possible that he would face self-doubt in the future. This stage can be important in determining if the person would develop anorexia nervosa or not. The disorder has some psychological effects because of which it occurs and psychological development starts from this stage. Pre-School Age 3-5 years: - This is when a child enters school which further determines his personality. In this stage the child can either take responsibility or can feel guilt for his doings. All this depends on the perception of the child and as to how he takes certain steps. Feeling guilty or uneasy with ones weight can lead to the development of the disorder. Elementary School Age 5-13 years: - This stage is also known as Industry versus Inferiority. This is a major step in which the children either develop a self-competence behavior or an incompetent one. All this depends as to if the child is satisfied with his skills of learning. For example if a child thinks that he studies well and even then fails then it is possible that he would develop an incompetent behavior. It is in this stage that if a child feels uncomfortable with himself then he would go into a state of psychological depraving. Adolescence 13 to early twenties:- This stage is known as Identity versus role confusion. In these ages the person tries to find himself among the society. He develops a personality through which he can succeed and if he does not develop this personality then he fails. It all depends as to if the adolescent would be able to define their goals or not. If a person does not develop the right role and identity in these stages then he might fail and fall into the categories of the disorder. Early Adulthood Twenties to thirties:- This stage is known as Intimacy versus Isolation. In this stage the person has to choose as to who he would live for the rest of his life with. If he chooses a person to share his life with successfully then it is possible that he would not face problems when living his life. The probability of catching the disorder is quite less in these stages as the person has developed his goals and personality in accordance to his needs. Middle Adulthood Forties and Fifties:- It is known as Generativity Versus Stagnation. It is in this phase that the individual would want to do something for the society and the next generation. If he considers that he has done enough for the society then he'd not face difficulties in leading his life whereas a failure would make him self-centered. In this stage the person cannot develop anorexia nervosa. Late Adulthood Sixties and beyond:- It is known as Ego Integrity Versus Despair. In this phase the individual is supposed to have a sense of wisdom such that he considers himself successful in life. Old people who fail at this task are afraid of death as they think that their life was a waste as they could not do anything supportive. At this stage also the person cannot develop anorexia nervosa. Conclusion Anorexia Nervosa is a disorder which can develop in early stages of life as put down by Erikson. In the late stages it is highly unlikely that a person develops the psychological problem of anorexia. It develops from unknown psychological reasons which are believed to occur because of societal and personal problems. If a person does not have a soothing family environment then it is possible that he might face problems in the society and develop the disorder. Girls are more prone to develop the disorder because of the current trend of being thin in the society. It can be treated with the right therapies along with pharmacological treatments. Government intervention is necessary to tackle the problem in the current population of youth (Schoemaker 2004). Bibliography Top of Form Bottom of Form Top of Form Bottom of FormTop of FormBottom of Form Ritter AV. (2006). Eating disorders and oral health. Journal of Esthetic and Restorative Dentistry : Official Publication of the American Academy of Esthetic Dentistry ... [Et Al.]. 18 (2). Top of FormSteinberg, L. "Cognitive and Affective Development in Adolescence." Trends in Cognitive Sciences. 9.2 (2005): 69-74. Print. Bottom of Form Schoemaker, C. (2004). A Critical Appraisal of the Anorexia Statistics in The Beauty Myth : Introducing Wolf's Overdo and Lie Factor (WOLF). Eating Disorders. 12 (2), 97-102. Top of Form Hoek, HW, and Hoeken D. van. "Review of the Prevalence and Incidence of Eating Disorders." The International Journal of Eating Disorders. 34.4 (2003): 383-96. Print. Bottom of Form Wiley-Blackwell. "Eating Disorders In Adolescents." ScienceDaily 21 November 2007. 30 December 2010 Read More