Anorexia Nervosa :: essays research papers

Self-Im sequence Anerexia NervosaAnorexia nervosa is a potenti totallyy life-threatening alimentation disorder characterized by a lack of self-esteem, an intense fear of becoming obese, and self-induced starvation overdue to a distorted organic structure image (Durham, 1991). Anorexia can occur later(prenominal) in life, but it is most common in girls between the ages of xiv and eighteen. According to the Center for Change, recent estimates suggest that 1% of Americans within this age range will, to some degree, develop anorexia and 10-20% will eventually die from link complications.I have experienced this deteriorating disease from a bystanders draw of view. After making a pact with my friends to get physically adapted for the summer, the four of us exercised and dieted daily for nearly four months. I neer thought that this effort to become healthy (or just look cheeseparing in our bikinis) would have such dire consequences. While everyone ended this stark(a) diet plan, o ne of my friends became obsessed with her organic structure image and without our knowledge, gradually certain the eating disorder anorexia nervosa. She went unnoticed for several months be take in she masterfully disguised her eating habits by consuming large quantities of fruit, vegetables, and salads in our presence while secretly fasting at home. Moreover, in spite of her attitude toward eating, she took an avid pertain in buying and preparing food for us. Looking back, I think that we were all anorexic to some degree. Personally, I was 16 years old, 57 and only weighed about 105 pounds. If I had lost a twin more than pounds, I would have been 25% below my normal body fish, which would be enough to also diagnose me with anorexia nervosa (Shaw, 2002). The majority of people who turn a loss from anorexia begin, as we did, with an innocent diet that gradually progressed to extreme and unhealthy charge loss (Shaw, 2002). Unlike normal dieting which stops when the desired sl ant is reached, people who become anorexic atribute positive feelings to their ability to control their weight and become dangerously preoccupied with food and fear weight gain. look into suggests that stringent dieting can play a key power in triggering eating disorders. Adolescent and young adult women are more vulnerable to these disorders due to their tendency to go on strict diets in order to achieve an ideal figure (Lehrman, 1987). Even thought the cause of anorexia nervosa is not known several different studies suggest that social attitudes toward body appearance, family influences, genetics, and developmental factors are possible contributors to anorexia (Selzman, 1999).