Food is always on the brain for the anorexic, many dream of food, read cook books back to back and prepares meals for family and friends this does not mean these are the warning signs however it does give a background into the mind of an anorexic.
If an anorexic does eat it is on secret and performed in a ritual by cutting food into small pieces and categorized in groups good/safe/bad.
For the anorexic they restrict their food intake as there is a fear of being overweight and not being able to lose the weight.
This can lead to factors such as depression and anxiety with usually co-exist with eating disorders.
Anorexics see a distorted body image; their view of the body is the opposite of what everyone else sees. It starts off with being slightly overweight and turns into a disorder. Anorexics tend to view their body as fat and oversized in areas such as stomach, thighs and buttocks. For the anorexic person they tend to way themselves constantly and check in mirrors; some are even obsessed with exercising.
For the anorexic person it is the pursuit of thinness the warning signs and symptoms start when the person refused to maintain a body weight correct for age and height. In women the periods begin to stop for a child its stops the process of puberty at an early age however for men the sex levels fall.
Anorexia Nervosa can include the following symptoms: depression, irritability, withdrawal and peculiar behavior
Causes
2. Causes
Eating disorders is very complex problem caused by a number of factors the exact cause is unknown however it could be due to family and cultural pressures for the trapped person this could be their only way of controlling their life.
A traumatic event could have happened this could be rape, first sexual experience, rejection and death of a parent or partner the problem could have been with the person for years or it could be a recent event.
There are many surrounding factors to an eating disorder such as the media how it portrays the image thin is beautiful.
The behaviorist would argue that anorexia is reinforcement of the ideal figure this is not the case. Many anorexics do have an image of what they would like to look like. The psychodynamic model sees anorexia as the unconsciousness attempt to return to the oral stage of infancy.
The person may have a low tolerance for change and new situations an example of this may be fear of growing up and having adult responsibilities.
Peer groups have immense pressure in fact sometimes more than the parent if a friend is on a diet do you conform and follow the same pattern?
The people who are vulnerable who do not fit in turn to anorexia as a source of control over their life whereas the binge eater turns to food for comfort.
Difficulties Encountered
3. Difficulties encountered
Starving can lead to death, eating disorders effects the mind and the body.
The effects eating disorders have on the body are:
- Irregular heart beat, leading to a heart attack.
- Weekend immune system.
- Disruption of the menstrual system in females and cause infertility in men.
- Destruction of teeth and rupture of the esophagus.
- Cell tissue and organs are damaged.
- Permanent loss of bone mass.
- Icy hands and feet.
The medical and psychological problems go far beyond the further a person progress through the disorder. Many people feel alienated and have no sense of control, in many cases it can lead to depression if not already there and felling of suicide.
Professional who Help
4. Professionals who help
A visit to the doctor is made their by an assessment on the condition. The doctor will give a treatment program if the problem still arises the patient will face hospitalization where a psychiatric evaluation is made and the person will stay there until they get better.
A visit to the dietician is made and Patients are asked to participate in therapy.
The people who help are the doctors, therapists, councilors, dietitians,
This all follows in a strict pattern to recovery.
Treatments
5. Treatments
Like any problem the first step is admitting however with anorexics they do not see their psychical appearance as being to thin.
The first step is to be referred to the doctor and put on a treatment program for this program they may need to be admitted into hospital. Regular visits will be made with the doctor and psychiatrist.
For anorexics their one fear is to put on weight, the first signs of recovery are when they are made to eat food and their target weight is met. While in hospital they are ask to see councilors to try and resolve any issues, medication is given to remove anxiety and dental work to the damaged teeth.
The family is also asked to be involved in therapy.
Explanations through the five perspectives
6.2 Biological
The biological approach to eating disorders looks at the genetic factors. Twins studies show evidence of eating disorders as being generic however it was not enough evidence to connect eating disorders as being genetic.
‘A sample of 10,000-20,000 would be needed to discover the importance of genetic factors for eating disorders’.
(Holland et al 1995)
Evidence from the neurotransmitters and hormones indicate abnormalities from those suffering with the disorder however there is still not enough evidence to prove if the abnormalities caused anorexia or if it was due to the damage that was made from the disorder. The effects an eating disorder can be anxiety, increased levels of serotonin are also found in the body. Serotonin is made from ‘trypophan’ which is a form of amino acid.
These chemicals are produced from food, the effects of reducing calorie intake. What it basically means is the body can discourage food intake. This is not the case there isn’t enough evidence surrounding that anorexia can be genetic even though the body can discourage eating food is still needed to survive.
6.3 Psychodynamic
The psychodynamic model looks at how adolescents fear adulthood for a female this can be entering puberty, sexual relationships and social factors. For the female they associate sex with pregnancy also areas such as the chest, stomach, thighs and buttocks associated as fat. ‘Restricting food intake can therefore be seen as an unconsciousness attempt to avoid pregnancy and the adult role’
(Rice et al 2001 page 177)
Anorexic behavior can be seen as the unconsciousness attempt to return to the oral stage in their life this is when they were young and dependant on someone.
Anorexia is the only control they have over their life it is believed the refusal of food in this case could possible be refusal of sexuality to stop areas of a woman such a breasts and thighs developing and even stop or delay periods.
6.4 Behaviorist
The behaviorist approach looks at reinforcement of the ideal figure an example of this ‘a young person sticks to a diet and loses weight is likely to receive positive reinforcement’
(Rice et al 2001 page 180)
The person could be complemented by the way they look and admired, social factors surrounding can influence the behaviorist would argue being overweight is not acceptable.
By complementing weight loss it only encourages more weight to be lost this can lead to sever eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa. Anorexics restrict their eating for the pursuit of thinness in this case positive reinforcement could actually make things worse.
6.5 Cognitive
The cognitive model looks at looks at the how an anorexic might think, how they look anorexics see themselves as fat a distorted body image, however they look the opposite to this skin and bone.
The thoughts that might go through the mind of an anorexic:
I’m special if I’m thin this idea co-exists with the behaviorist idea of positive reinforcement. Many anorexics stop eating as a way to control their life, the pressure is then put on that if they eat they will lose all control.
The cognitive model looks at the anorexic and sees what they see and think.
6.6 Humanist
The humanist approach looks at the needs of the individual and how these needs have to be met. The psychological needs are at the base of the triangle we all need food and water, the ability to rest however in the case of the anorexic there is a constant exercise routine. The psychological needs are at the base of the triangle a person cannot reach there full potential if each deficiency is not met. The next step is the safety needs this is when a person needs to feel safe many people deal with problems in their own way an anorexic would control food intake. The anorexic person would base their estimation of themselves on others but no matter how much weight they loose they will always remain dissatisfied and never reach their full potential.
.
Evaluation
Anorexia Nervosa is a complex subject there are many factors that can case the disorder and many explanations why it happens. Through each of the five perspectives there is answer. However you cannot imagine how someone feels until you had first hand experience the cognitive model gives an insight into the feelings and emotions but that’s as close as someone can get to understanding. Anorexia is a fairly new disorder and has not been in the public eye for very long. The case of Karen Carpenter brought attention on the disorder. The media can play a huge part and it does not help that their is wafer thin models on the catwalk, bigger models should be introduced to create a balanced image. The treatment therapies could include meetings in doctors instead of a psychiatric hospital. Through researching this topic I was quite surprised that local hospital units do not deal with this disorder.
As for the day of my presentation I feel it went well, I was situated in a group of six people including myself topics were given on abnormal behavior two presentations were given on narcolepsy Mark and Sara-lee. Narcolepsy is a chronic neurological disorder that effects the brain both men and women can be effected by this disorder.
The causes are still unknown narcolepsy is a form of sleep paralysis one minute you can be walking or making a cup of tea next minute you can be fall into a deep sleep unable to move. Narcolepsy affects one in 20,000 people. As there were two presentations on the disorder I understood the condition more. One of the presentations gave me an understanding to what narcolepsy was and the facts about the disorder the other however gave an insight of the history of narcolepsy. I found that I understood marks presentation more, it was clear and the handout was full of information easy to understand. With Sara-lee’s she focused on the history of narcolepsy both presentations were well researched but I felt that Sara-lee’s presentation could have been clearer. I enjoyed the both but one was on PowerPoint which I found easy to read the OHP’s Sara-lee provided was not very clear this is not down to her fault but the nature of the machine can make it that way.
Andrea’s topic was on bipolar disorder which is a form of a manic depressive. This presentation was focused on the five perspectives to the disorder, I felt Andrea was confident and understood the topic however the handout was in detail of the disorder to the five perspectives and not enough emphasis on the subject and what it was. The finial presentation was on obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) I enjoyed this presentation however I feel for three different resources the same information was provided.
On the day of the presentation there was a good atmosphere. A variety of methods were used such as PowerPoint, OHP’s, cue cards, video’s, newspaper articles and poems; visual aids were also provided.
As for my handout I feel I could have listed the disorder to the five perspectives but as it was only specified as a one page handout it was very limiting. My personal preference for presentation tool would have to be power point as there is a variety of backgrounds, sounds, images there is also a notes tool which I used to assist with my presentation.
Bibliography
Davenport, G.C. (1997) Introducing GCSE psychology, 2nd Edtion, Collins Educational, London
Glassman, W.E. (2000) Approaches to psychology, 3rd Edition, Open University press, Buckingham
Gross, R. (1997) Psychology the science of the mind and behavior, 3rd Edition, Hodder & Stoughton, London.
Askam,W. Foreman, N. Jones, S. Rice, D. & Haralambous, M. (2001) Psychology in focus, Causeway Press, Ormskirk
