Types of Anorexia Nervosa (Essay Sample)

Anorexia- ANTRHOPOLGY VIEW
Anorexia
Name
(Institutional Affiliation)
Introduction
Anorexia has been defined as a disorder that is bio cultural and rated as a medical anthropology ailment. Anorexia is an eating disorder mainly characterized by an intense and irrational fear of weight gain. Because of this fear people with this disorder restrict the food they consume and end up with excessive weight loss. People with this disorder have a self perception which is abnormal. This means that if they gain some weight, they are faced by an intense feeling of low self esteem, and they have to lose weight so as to be contented. Anorexia affects both male and female gender, but occurs mostly in girls and women. It is said that 85-95% of anorexic people are female. Anorexia can lead to death. Some research shows that medication like antipsychotics, mood stabilizers, or antidepressants can deal heal anorexia. However, it has not been proved more than doubt. Some psychotherapy forms can help anorexic. This is by talking to the patient to change their behavior and thoughts. Group therapy can also assist, however, the problem is that the patient may not accept to have any disorder; hence he or she may fail to seek any medical assistance (Anorexia nervosa Pictures 2013).
Topic Overview
Eating disorders are conditions defined by abnormal eating habits that may involve either insufficient or excessive food intake negatively affecting an individual's physical and mental health.  There are two types of eating disorders. Bulimia nervosa and anorexia nervosa are the most common specific forms in the United Kingdom (Hudson, Hiripi, Pope, Kessler 2007). "The Prevalence and Correlates of Eating Disorders in the National Co morbidity Survey Replication." This project will look at anorexia nervosa.
Types of anorexia nervosa
There are two types, which include restricting type and purging type. Restricting type is whereby a person loses weight by restricting calories. Calories restriction means that they may fail to eat, have intensive exercise, or take diets with least calories. They do all these so as not to gain any weight. On the other hand, the purging type, eat food, but purge it out of the stomach so that it is not digested. This is achieved by induction of vomiting or taking diet pills, diuretics, or laxatives.
Characteristics/Components of anorexic people
Persons suffering from anorexia nervosa have low body weight. In addition, they resist attaining the normal weight. Anorexic people also have an intense irrational fear of having an increase in their body weight. They also feel that they are fat even though they are very thin. Girls who have this condition miss three consecutive menstrual periods in a row, because menstruation occurs to a person with a certain given body weight. Moreover, anorexic people keep on measuring their weight, gazing on mirrors and keep checking their bodies so often so as to make sure that they remain thin. They also deny that they are thin but instead feel fat. They are simply obsessed with being thin and having the least amount of weight possible. They also feel hungry, but suppress the feeling, ignore and override it.
Causes of anorexia nervosa
Anorexic people are characterized by being perfectionist and are also overambitious. They are "good" sons and daughters as their parents want them to be. But on contrary, inside they feel inadequate, empty, worthless and helpless. They feel that if they are imperfect, then they are total failures. Anorexia may be caused by cultural pressures to be thin. Today, being thin is trendy and fashionable to mostly girls. For instance participation in some activities like modeling, gymnastics, and ballet needs a person who is slender. This may lead to obsession of becoming thin so as to participate in these activities hence increase self esteem. Some parents, friends and siblings criticize other people’s bodies and appearance. This may cause one to be motivated to do away with these negative feelings gotten from hurting comments by working hard to be thin if they are fat. Stressful events like breakup, family chaos, onset of puberty or going to a school away from home for teenagers may also trigger anorexia.
Anorexia disorder may be genetically predisposed in a family. Research suggests that if a girl has a brother or sister with anorexia, she is more likely by 10 to 20 times to develop anorexia nervosa than general population. Research has also shown that brain structure plays part in determination of anorexia. People having anorexia tend to have high cortisol levels. Cortisol is the brain hormone related to stress. They also tend to have decreased levels of nor epinephrine and serotonin, which are attached to feeling of wellbeing or positive affect.
Anorexia may also be caused by strict dieting. Some families develop eating habits which must be followed to the latter and yet they may be not up to the standard. Also, difficulty in expression of feelings has been said to be a cause of anorexia nervosa
Effects of anorexia nervosa.
Effects in this context can also be referred to as importance. Anorexia affects one or more particular groups in various ways. Anorexic people undergo mood swings which are severe. This leads to depression because they have a feeling of worthlessness, hopelessness and they suffer from low self esteem. In addition, they may withdraw from friends and live in solitude which leads to more frustrations. They lack energy because they are underweight and they don’t feed as the body requires. They may suffer from stomach problems, for instance while purging and this may lead to health complications. They also suffer from poor memory which leads to slowed thinking. Their skin is yellowish and they look malnourished because the body is not getting enough supply of food which is vital in body...