Transcript Anorexia Nervosa

Anorexia
Nervosa
#24 Unit 2- Abnormal psychology
What is it?
 An
eating disorder and psychological
disorder that occurs when someone has
extreme dietary habits to prevent weight
gain.
Why does it happen?
 No
definite cause, but there are possible
causes
 Starts when a person is trying to lose a
significant amount of weight.
 After a while they realize they have control
 Weight loss becomes secondary
 Genetics may play a role
 Dysfunction in hypothalamus may be a
cause
What happens with anorexia?
A
person continues with restrictive eating
 Over exercise
 Over use diet pills to feel a loss of appetite
 May abuse other substances like laxatives,
diuretics, or anemia's
“You’ll be dead before you’re thin enough.”
Statistics
 95%
of people suffering from anorexia are
female (usually teens)
 In the US and other countries with high
economic statuses 1 in 100 girls are
anorexic
 0.5%-3.7% of all women are anorexic at
some point in their lives
 And only 0.3% of all men suffer
Criteria for diagnosis
 Intense
fear of weight gain (even though
individual is underweight)
 Women miss their period 3 times in a row
until hormones administrated
 Refuse to maintain a healthy weight for
age and height
 Weight loss that is not acknowledged
(denial)
Example From a Parent’s Point
of View
 Case
study of a 9 ½ year old girl
 She began by asking her parents if she
was fat
 Then rejected junk food
 Began loosing weight
 Pediatrician thought it was a phase
 Eventually ended up in the hospital for 3
weeks
 Now “live from meal to meal” and have a
team of health professionals to help
Pro-ana
 Websites
first made in 2001 to give tips to
others to become or continue with anorexia
 “Ana-diets”
“Becoming anorexic requires years of
obsessive and destructive thinking. Anorexia
demands absolute, single-minded attention.
Do you hate yourself, feel ashamed,
embarrassed, guilty, dirty and
anxious? If you don’t you will soon.”
Sources



"Medscape: Medscape Access." Medscape: Medscape
Access. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 May 2011.
<http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/912187overview>.
"Anorexia Nervosa Symptoms, Signs, Statistics, Treatment,
Causes and Diagnosis by MedicineNet.com." Reliable and
Relevant Health and Medical Information Produced by
Doctors - MedicineNet.com. Web. 04 May 2011.
<http://www.medicinenet.com/anorexia_nervosa/article.
htm>.
"ANOREXIA: Warning to Parents, My Pre-adolescent
Daughter Developed Anorexia after Seeing It on a
Television Program." Angelfire: Welcome to Angelfire. Web.
22 May 2011. <http://www.angelfire.com/mi/anorexia/>.