Anorexia Nervosa, or simply "anorexia" as it is more

commonly known, is a disease classified in the eating

disorder category. Affecting about one in every two-hundred

fifty young women in the United States, it is a disease

which is characterized by the refusal to eat. This refusal

is completely by the person's own will. Generally, they

deny their appetite and enjoyment of food. The cause of the

refusal to eat is a direct result of the fact that no matter

how thin they actually are, anorexics see themselves as

overweight. To say the least, they have a distorted sense

of reality, especially when it comes to their own

appearance.

The four diagnostic criteria for anorexia nervosa are

as follows:

1. Refusal to maintain 85% of normal body weight

as applies to individual height and body size.

2. Intense fear of becoming 'fat' despite the fact

that they are underweight.

3. A disturbance in the way in which one's shape

and weight are experienced, undue influence of

body weight or shape on self-evaluation or denial

of the seriousness of the low body weight.

4. In females, missing at least three consecutive

menstrual cycles.

Early symptoms for this disease are sometimes difficult

to determine because it generally starts out as innocent

dieting. Dieting is very commonplace, especially in the

United States, so this is not very suspicious behavior. The

dieting, however, evolves into less commonplace activity

such as severe decrease in calorie and fat intake, even

fasting. Many times, the subject will exercise

relentlessly., somehow maintaining a high energy level

despite their near starving state.

Though anorexics do not like to eat food, they tend to

enjoy preparing elaborate meals for others and sometimes

collect recipes and even memorize nutritional facts about

foods. Anorexia is also sometimes characterized by bizarre

eating habits, such cases as strange as cutting a raisin in

half and chewing each part for two to three minutes have

been reported.

As mentioned earlier, one out of every two hundred

fifty young women in the United States are affected by

anorexia nervosa. It is a disease which is most common in

females, but one in twenty cases is estimated to be in a

male. Anorexia is most common in North American society.

Anorexia is a direct result of family stress and other

social pressure. Most anorexics come form middle to upper

class families who place a lot of emphasis on achievement,

perfection, and especially physical appearance. Parents are

often overprotective and overcontrolling, the child seeks a

form of control of her own by controlling food intake. Not

all of the negative pressure comes from family however.

Society in general provides the very impressionable youth

with many negative signals by various media. Those on

television and in magazines are especially successful at

telling the youth that those who are successful are so

because they are beautiful, handsome, and thin. This tells

the youth that if they are not beautiful and thin that they

will not succeed.

Treatment for anorexia nervosa is limited and many

times has limited success. The treatment involves medical,

psychological, and nutritional help. However, no real

treatment can take place until the anorexic admits that he

or she has a problem. This especially applies since a

characteristic of anorexia is not being able to see the

problem with his or her eating habits. When the person

admits to having a problem, treatment can begin. Family

therapy is a key component, while psychotherapy is also

needed to help the anorexic regain a positive self-image.

Despite treatment though, fifty percent of anorexics in

treatment suffer a relapse within one year.

Anorexia has become a more serious disease in modern

times, especially within the last forty years. This is

because of the continual development of society's pressure

for people to be thin in order to be successful. This trend

is extremely dangerous and particularly detrimental to our

adolescent females. Somehow, society in general, including

the people in it, must try to discontinue the message that

thin equals success.

Works Cited

Allyn and Bacon. "Psychology sixth edition" Lefton, pub.

USA. Copyright © 1997.

Hope, Help, and Healing for Eating Disorders. Jantz,

Gregory Ph.D. Shaw publishing, © 1995.

The Obsession. Chernin, Kim. Harper and Row publishing, ©

1980.

A Wellness Way of Life. ed. 3, Robbins, Powers, and

Burgess. Brown and Benchmark publishing. © Times

Mirror Higher Education Group, Inc., Ball State

University 1997.