Anorexia Nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by food restriction to the point of potentially losing a significant amount of weight and being life threatening. According to the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA), the mortality statistic of this condition is between 5-20%, making it one of the highest of all psychiatric disorders. It is common for sufferers to be underweight, have obsessions surrounding fears of gaining weight, compulsions to over-exercise, and low self-esteem and poor body image due to these acts and maladaptive thought patterns that reinforce a deeply rooted negative self-image (NEDA, “Anorexia”).
An eating disorder is caused by a multiplicity of factors; the interaction of a person’s biological, psychological, and social worlds. One common clue to pinpointing an origin for this symptom presentation lies in the function of Anorexia Itself. This is an illness of control. Micromanaging and obsessing over self via body weight and image is a way to exert total control over one’s environment, thus ridding one of anxiety over a possible uncontrollable life situation. This type of control could also act to rid the self of the impact of distressing emotions due to how eating disorders tend to occupy the mind all day and night. Therefore it is reasonable to assume individuals that are unhappy with their body, dieting, and view their bodies and self negatively are at-risk and especially vulnerable to Anorexia (NEDA, “Contributing”). It is common for Anorexia to be triggered by a major life event, unlocking the illness in individuals with obsessive and anxious traits (APA 342).
Works Cited
American Psychiatric Association (APA). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. 5th ed. Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Association, 2013.
National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA). “Anorexia Nervosa”. National Eating Disorders Association, www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/anorexia-nervosa. Accessed 20 August 2016.
National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA). “Contributing Factors & Prevention”. National Eating Disorders Association, https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/contributing-factors-prevention. Accessed 20 August 2016.
National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA). “Treatment Basics”. National Eating Disorders Association, https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/treatment-basics. Accessed 20 August 2016.
Golisano Children’s Hospital. “Myths About Eating Disorders”. Golisano Children’s Hospital, www.urmc.rochester.edu/childrens-hospital/adolescent/eating-disorders/myths.aspx. Accessed 20 August 2016.
