Another difference between these diseases is that they occur mostly in women, but of different ages. BN occurs more frequently in young women during adolescence while AN is onset in older women.
There have been research studies carried out to research the causes of Anorexia Nervosa. One such study is that of Hamilton and Waller(1993). They used the Psychodynamic Model to explain the causes of AN. Hamilton and Waller used two groups of women, one group with Anorexia and the other without. They then showed the women pictures of what is known as the ‘ideal’ female body. They found that the women with eating disorders were more affected by the pictures than those without eating disorders. This showed that there was a difference between how people with eating disorders saw the female form and those which did not have any eating disorder.
Another research study into the causes of AN was that of Askewolde and Heiberg et al. (1979), who used the biological model to explain AN. They claimed that AN was genetic. To prove this they had two groups of girls who were twins. The monozygotic (identical) twins were more likely to both suffer from the same eating disorder than those with dizygotic twins do.
AN and BN can be explained using any of the four models, the biological model, the psychodynamic model, the behavioural model and the cognitive model. The biological model explains anorexia and bulimia by using physical or chemical imbalances as reasons for the diseases. A dysfunction of the hypothalamus is thought to be involved in AN/BN. Research, (Hinney et al.), has proved that the hypothalamus has played an important role in eating, when noradreneline (a neurotransmitter) acts on part of the hypothalamus non-human animals begin eating. In contrast, serotonin reduces appetite. Another explanation is that it is genetic, as I discussed earlier about Askewold and Heiberg. There is not any true valid proof of the direct connection between genetics or the hypothalamus to AN or BN.
The behavioural model explains AN/BN by suggesting that the cause of the disorder is a weight phobia. This was researched by Garner et al (1980). He found that Miss Americas and playboy centre folds were below average weight. Many had eating disorders as well. This proved that social pressure was a factor in eating disorders.
In conclusion it seems as though there is building evidence that Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia are usually related to a distorted body image of oneself and social pressures to conform to what is considered the ‘ideal’ body weight. It occurs mostly in women from the age of adolescence to the mid-twenties, probably because they have the most pressure to be ‘beautiful’ and so make themselves ill in desperation to fit in. this behaviour can stem from childhood and may also be genetic. There is no solid proof of the true evidence of the causes of Anorexia and Bulimia.
