normous amounts of food, known as binge eating, followed by strategies to undermine caloric intake such as vomiting or laxatives. In contrast, those with anorexia nervosa lose weight by severely restricting caloric intake. Despite these differences, all eating orders share a common pathology, according to Brown University, ôàpatients judge their self-worth almost exclusively based on their shape and weightö (Treating, 2005, p. 1). Anorexia nervosa is known to occur at two distinct developmental periods, the first between the ages of 13-14 and the second around the ages of 17-18, when adolescents enter college. Brown University lists the following warning signs for the development of eating disorders: 1) Low self-esteem, 2) Severe life events, 3) Negative body image, 4) Female gender, 5) Age, and 6) Dieting behavior (Treating, 2005, p. 2).
Anorexia nervosa is not a new phenomenon. J.M.S. Pearce (2004), starvation arose during the Ancient civilizations, often promoted by social values and religious beliefs, ôExamples of self-starvation appeared in the Hellenistic era. Many early anorexics were ascetics who had spurned the æevil corporeal worldÆ while its soul was deemed holyö (p. 191). In other cultures, like China, idealized images of women often led to starvation practices resembling anorexia nervosa. In contemporary society, anorexia nervosa began to increase among adolescents females as the idealized body image of women changed from one of the Reubenesque ideal of beauty to one that was slim and boyish. Supermodels and heroin chic portrayed in the media led to low self-esteem in adolescent females who compared themselves unfavorably to such idealized and often unhealthy images. According to Pearce (2004), ôWestern, social and media forces continue uncompromisingly to promote the slender sylphö (p. 192).
There is divided opinion in the literature with respect to the causes of anorexia nervosa. Some experts conte...