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Living With Anorexia
This a project for a high school AP Psychology course. This is a fictionalized account of having a psychological ailment. For questions about this blog project or its content please email the teacher, Laura Astorian: [email protected]
What’s An Eating Disorder?
• “Any range of psychological disorders characterized by abnormal or disturbed eating habits” – Webster’s Dictionary
What Is Anorexia?
• Defined as a severe eating disorder classified by self-starvation and excessive weight loss
Symptoms
• Inadequate food intake
• Extreme weight loss
• Irrational fear of gaining weight
• Negative body image
• Inability to recognize severity of situation
Warning Signs
• Dramatic weight loss
• Preoccupation with weight, calorie intake, dieting, etc.
• Food restrictions (i.e. no fats)
• Denial of hunger
• Food rituals
Health Consequences
• Low heart rate and blood pressure
• Osteoporosis
• Muscle loss
• Fatigue
• Dry skin and hair loss
• Lanugo (peach fuzz-like hair around body)
Statistics
• 90-95% of anorexia patients are female
• .5-1% of American women suffer from anorexia
• Top ten most common psychiatric illnesses
• About 20% of people with anorexia will die• Highest death rate among any mental
health condition
What Can Cause Anorexia?
• Psychological: people with anorexia tend to be perfectionists, as well as people suffering from anxiety (anorexia being way to gain control in their lives) and depression
• Biological: genetic predisposition
• Social: Constant reinforcement of “skinnier is better” in western culture; family pressure
Treatment
• Medical Treatment • Hospitalization for malnutrition
• Nutritional Treatment
• Counseling • Group and Family
Personal Experience
• My battle with anorexia was unknown to me: what started as an attempt to lose weight became an unhealthy obsession. I couldn’t recognize where healthy became harmful in regards to dieting, which was scary because it meant that I’d lost control of my own body.
Personal Experience (Cont.)
• Not only did anorexia cause me to lose control over my body, but it caused me to lose connection with my loved ones. When my sister tried to help me see that my actions were unhealthy and damaging, I became defensive and pushed her away.
Personal Experience (Cont.)
• My development of anorexia stemmed from a need for control in my life. I felt like I needed to regain power over my environment, and my body was the perfect outlet for that.
Personal Experience (Cont.)
• What made my situation worse was the fact that my peers encouraged my actions: by being told I could model, my eating habits were only reinforced.
Personal Experience (Cont.)
• Obsession with social ideals also played into the development of my disorder. Being surrounded by the media’s portrayal of the “skinnier is better” stereotype made me feel that my body was inadequate, and I could only reach perfection by reflecting what I saw in my role models.
Personal Experience (Cont.)
• Therapy, including visiting with a therapist and family counseling, has helped immensely. I also find that the more motivated and open I am to change, the more involved others become in my therapy; it definitely has to be me driving for the change.
Personal Experience (Cont.)
• Since my initial diagnosis, I’ve had to take anti-anxiety medication on top of my standard therapeutic treatments. The meds have made a major difference because they allow me to feel more in-control during my daily life, which makes the healing process that much smoother.
Personal Experience (Cont.)
• I really hate when people will miss a meal and joke that “they’re becoming anorexic”. Anorexia is not a joke; it’s a major debilitating disorder that impacts a person mentally and physically.
The Future
• Recovering from anorexia is a long process, but thankfully there is a strong community of survivors that help lift each other through the recovery process. I am grateful to be surrounded by such strong people who have overcome such a huge obstacle.
References
• http://www.helpguide.org/articles/eating-disorders/anorexia-nervosa.htm
• https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/anorexia-nervosa
• http://mental.healthguru.com/video/anorexia-treatment-options
