Anorexia Etiology and Disease Progression

The exact cause of Anorexia is unknown but it is probably rooted in a variety of factors.  Western culture has a huge influence on the way people perceive beauty and thinness.  Since anorexia is more common in Western countries it is likely that the self esteem issues and the distorted views of beauty that Western culture promotes are probably factors.  Another suspected cause of Anorexia are certain personality traits.  People who have more perfectionist and obsessive compulsive tendencies are more at risk for developing anorexia.  Additionally people who experience high levels of anxiety are more at risk for using anorexia as a coping mechanism.

Anorexia can go unnoticed at first.  Eventually it leads to significant weight loss which can cause a variety of health problems.  The weight loss caused by unhealthy eating patterns and excessive exercise can lead to decreased blood pressure and heart rate, anemia, kidney problems, gastrointestinal problems. and bone loss (among other things).  These problems are all caused by the malnutrition that results from this disease.  The main life threatening complication that people with anorexia experience is heart failure.  When the body runs out of fat to burn it turns to muscle for energy as a last resort.  Eventually the body starts to use cardiac muscle of the heart for energy making the heart weaker and more susceptible to failure.  A lot of this damage is irreversible and can still cause problems and even lead to death after an anorexic person has received treatment and has recovered.

To show how deeply flawed our self perceptions can be I've included a video that, while not directly relating to Anorexia, does a great job of showing how people find it difficult to see beauty in themselves.

Dove United States.  (2013, April 14).  Dove Real Beauty Sketches  [video file].  Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpaOjMXyJGk 

Anorexia Epidemiology

1.2 million Americans suffer from Anorexia and following the trend of the past 25 years this number will only continue to grow.  The vast majority of these people are women.  The male to female ratio for those suffering from anorexia is 1:20.  The main age group of people affected are between the ages of 15-19.  Forty percent of identified cases in females fell between this age group.  Anorexia is more common in western countries.  It more commonly affects white women who are of higher socioeconomic status.  Additionally those who participate in activities or professions that demand thinness (modeling, athletics) are at a higher risk for developing Anorexia.   A follow up study researched how well patients were recovering after treatment and found that only 50% of patients with anorexia recovered.  26% reported a poor outcome after treatment, and 21% reported an intermediate outcome.  The study also found Anorexia had a 9.8% mortality rate.  This is the highest mortality rate of any mental illness.  

The-Reality-of-Eating Disorders. (2013).  Retrieved from https://advocateglobalhealth.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/49p8c6-facts-statistics-465pxwide.jpg

Anorexia: an Introduction

Anorexia is an eating disorder, but the name can be misleading.  Anorexia is an avenue of coping with emotional struggles that manifests itself in an unhealthy relationship with food.  People suffering from Anorexia experience a strong fear of weight gain which leads to eating patterns that cause a decrease in body weight.  Anorexia is often thought of as a "women's disease" and this is true in that the majority of people who are anorexic are women, however 10% of people with anorexia are men and this stigma of having a "women's disease" is a factor that keeps many of them from seeking treatment.  Common treatment options for those who choose to pursue them include a combination of psychotherapy and consultations with mental health professionals and dietitians.

Anorexia-in-the-mirror.  (2014).  Retrieved from http://nursejournal.org/files/2014/07/Anorexia-in-the-mirror.jpg