Eating Disorders of the Adolescent Years
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Eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa have generally been associated with the adolescent years of growth, although they may occur in the early to mid-adult years as well. An eating disorder is defined as a disturbance in eating behavior that jeopardizes a person's physical or psychological health. Anorexia nervosa is examined in the literature in terms of its nature and characteristics, diagnostic issues, psychodynamic aspects of the physical disorder in terms of etiology, psychological consequences of the disorder, and treatment modalities. For some the disorder is chronic, and for others it is merely episodic. Individual anorectics, in the course of the disorder, experience marked psychological changes in relation to the state of starvation itself and to the patterns of interaction within the family. This has consequences for treatment. Much of the current psychotherapeutic thinking about the disorder derives from Sigmund Freud and Hilde Bruch. Bruch sees the contemporary anorectic as unprepared to cope with the psychological and social consequences of adulthood as well as with sexuality. The anorectic experiences a paralyzing sense of ineffectiveness and anxiety about her identity, and she therefore chooses for control of her body (Bruch, 1973, 155). The onset and course of anorexia nervosa are remarkably predictable. Sometimes the onset follows an upset, such as a failed romance, and sometimes it occurs without a clear precipitant. The patient begins to die
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ean, eager to please, helpful at home, precociously dependable, and excelling in school work. . . The need for self-reliant independence, which confronts every adolescent, seemed to cause an insoluble conflict, after a childhood of robot-like obedience (Bruch, 1973, 255).
Even when these sufferers are aware of the fact that the way they were raised has left them unprepared for moving forward in life, they still often try to recreate the old situation.
The onset of anorexia nervosa has been considered to see what sort of precipitating events might be involved. The view of patients is often distorted. They may say that the restricted their food because they were too fat, but it is generally not true that anorexia is preceded by obesity. Often, the patients resorts to drastic dieting after being confronted with new experiences such as going to camp or entering a new school. The individual in the new situation feels embarrassed about being "chubby," or perhaps they feel they are not sufficiently athletic or are at some other disadvantage. some were simply unhappy and depressed without their familiar supports. Some may indeed have lost weight through accidental means, such as stress or not liking the food at a new place. When
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Some common words found in the essay are:
Psychiatric Association, Bruch Bruch, , anorexia nervosa, Medical Center, bruch 1973, Jones RS, HarperCollins Dunn, January/February Body, December Ameica's, References Bruch, body image, rodin 1992, eating disorders, primary anorexia, Business Week, stacey 1993, primary anorexia nervosa, rodin 1992 57, heart rate, blood pressure, jones 1994, paralyzing sense ineffectiveness,
Approximate Word count = 1750
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page)
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