Difference between revisions of "Anorexia nervosa"
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*Anorexia is more than just a problem with food. It is a way of using food or starving oneself to feel more in control of life and to ease tension, anger, and anxiety. Most people with anorexia are female.<ref>[http://www.4women.gov/faq/easyread/anorexia-etr.htm]</ref> | *Anorexia is more than just a problem with food. It is a way of using food or starving oneself to feel more in control of life and to ease tension, anger, and anxiety. Most people with anorexia are female.<ref>[http://www.4women.gov/faq/easyread/anorexia-etr.htm]</ref> | ||
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| + | == Epidemiology of Anorexia == | ||
| + | About 90% of those diagnosed with anorexia nervosa are female. Research indicates that its incidence is between 8 and 13 cases per 100,000 annually.<ref>Bulik CM, Reba L, Siega-Riz AM, Reichburn-Kjennerud T (2005). Anorexia nervosa: Definition, epidemiology and cycle of risk. ''International Journal of Eating Disorders, 37'' Suppl, S2-S9.</ref><ref>Hoek HW (2006). Incidence, prevalence and mortality of anorexia and other eating disorders. ''Current Opinion in Psychiatry, 19'', 389-394.</ref>The disorder most commonly occurs in adolescence.<ref>Lask B & Bryant-Waugh R (2000). Anorexia Nervosa and Related Eating Disorders in Childhood and Adolescence. Hove: Psychology Press.</ref> | ||
== Factors Credited As Contributory == | == Factors Credited As Contributory == | ||
Revision as of 18:33, February 24, 2008
Anorexia nervosa is a syndrome marked by severe crash dieting and fasting, often motivated by a belief that one is "too fat" despite being well below average weight.
It is a disorder in which the individual has a body image distortion and an intense fear of becoming overweight and therefore eats far too little to sustain normal body functions. It usually manifests itself in an extremely unhealthy body image. If left untreated, it can lead to serious physiology injury or death.
- Anorexia is more than just a problem with food. It is a way of using food or starving oneself to feel more in control of life and to ease tension, anger, and anxiety. Most people with anorexia are female.[1]
Epidemiology of Anorexia
About 90% of those diagnosed with anorexia nervosa are female. Research indicates that its incidence is between 8 and 13 cases per 100,000 annually.[2][3]The disorder most commonly occurs in adolescence.[4]
Factors Credited As Contributory
Many factors of society are at times credited with causing the number of eating disorders to increase. For example, the media perception of larger-than-average bodies as 'too fat', or something that must be changed via dieting, can contribute to many having an unhealthy body image. Also, some have cited society's pressure on women to be thin and desirable, and on men to be large and muscular, as something that can enhance eating disorders.
Circular reasoning
Many sources speak of the condition as if it caused itself. Anorexia is a syndrome in which a person chooses to starve themselves, out of an exaggerated fear of gaining weight. The National Women's Health Information Center, a federally sponsored program, claims that anorexia causes this fear.[5]
Notes
- ↑ [1]
- ↑ Bulik CM, Reba L, Siega-Riz AM, Reichburn-Kjennerud T (2005). Anorexia nervosa: Definition, epidemiology and cycle of risk. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 37 Suppl, S2-S9.
- ↑ Hoek HW (2006). Incidence, prevalence and mortality of anorexia and other eating disorders. Current Opinion in Psychiatry, 19, 389-394.
- ↑ Lask B & Bryant-Waugh R (2000). Anorexia Nervosa and Related Eating Disorders in Childhood and Adolescence. Hove: Psychology Press.
- ↑ [2]
Sources
Abnormal Psychology, Rosenhan & Seligman, 1984