PubMedHealth.com refers to causes of anorexia nervosa, not motives. Causes include a desire to be perfect, extreme concern about weight and body shape, eating problems through infancy or childhood, social ideas regarding health and beauty, negative self-image, and having an anxiety disorder during childhood (“PubMedHealth,” 2012).
Other motivations for people with anorexia nervosa include a desire to have control over at least one area of their lives, especially if they feel as if they have no control over other areas of their lives. For example, if a young person’s parents are divorcing, this could be a motivator. Other motivations include a change in schools, a move to another city, a death in the family, or a close family member with anorexia nervosa. Another motivation is participation in sports such as wrestling, running, figure skating, and gymnastics (“Mayo Clinic,” 2012).
I think people want to lose weight to look as thin as celebrities do. Most movie stars, models, and singers are quite thin. Very few celebrities are overweight. In the United States, people believe it is normal, glamorous, and beautiful to be thin. The public views being overweight as ugly and socially unacceptable. Some people even believe that being overweight is a sign of laziness or lack of concern about appearance. People want to be thin to help them with low self-esteem.
Other reasons people may be motivated to lose weight include the desire to impress someone they like. For example, perhaps a girl at school likes the football star and thinks he may notice her if she loses weight to become more “beautiful”. Another example is wanting to please a parent or other authority figure. These people may mistakenly make comments such as, “You are such a pretty girl. Now, if only you would lose a few pounds.” These thoughtless comments place pressure on children to become weight-conscious.
According to the Mayo Clinic website, young women may be more prone to anorexia nervosa because they have “obsessive-compulsive personality traits that make it easier to stick to strict diets” and refuse food even though they may be hungry (2012). Anorexia nervosa is seen more in women because there is such a societal pressure for women to be thin (2012).
It is difficult to intervene in cases of anorexia nervosa because people with this disease work hard to hide “their thinness, eating habits, or physical problems” that are a result of the illness. (“Mayo Clinic,” 2012). One of the only intervention strategies is to suggest that the person go see a doctor to verify whether their weight is normal or below normal (2012). A doctor or psychiatrist might be able to discuss with the patient that celebrities are actually too thin, undernourished, and that it is unreasonable to expect to be that thin. This is one way to break through the motivation to be as thin or as beautiful as celebrities are. It is difficult to intervene because often, people with anorexia nervosa do not want help.
During the intervention, patients may need to be hospitalized and tube fed to work toward a healthy weight (“Mayo Clinic,” 2012). Patients will need to learn what a healthy weight is (2012). A nutritionist needs to be called in to help patients develop a healthy diet, meal plans, and calorie requirements to help patients reach a healthy weight goal (2012). During the intervention, psychotherapy, including cognitive behavioral therapy, family based therapy, and group therapy may help (2012). Cognitive behavioral therapy will teach patients a better way to deal with stress and other issues in their life rather than starving themselves. Family therapy helps everyone in the family develop healthy eating habits. Group therapy is a place where people struggling with anorexia nervosa can gather to meet other people with eating disorders and gain support from each other. Psychotherapy can help people overcome their self-esteem issues, which is one of the motivations for anorexia nervosa.
References
Mayo Clinic Staff. (2012). Anorexia nervosa. Retrieved from Mayo Clinic website
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/anorexia/DS00606.
Pub Med Health. (2012). Anorexia nervosa. Retrieved from U.S. National Library of Medicine
website http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001401/.
