Posted: October 20th, 2022

Anorexia Nervosa: Dealing With a Condition People often Don’t Want to Talk About

Anorexia Nervosa: Dealing With a Condition People often Don’t Want to Talk About
It is expressed in an article entitled, Eating Disorders 101 Guide: A Summary of Issues, Statistics and Resources, that 1.0% to 4.2% of women have suffered from anorexia in their lifetime. According to Hall and Ostroff (2013), the term Anorexia nervosa simply means self-starvation. Such definition is couched in a level of ambiguity that it often misled people to understanding that the condition is nothing but a result of one’s obsession to lose weight. What tends to be missing is the fact that there are underlying causes which may transcend to one’s own free will. Some even are caught unaware that they are suffering from such disorder. It is thus imperative that sufficient information about the matter is disseminated to spread awareness, understanding, and create an atmosphere of empathy. This is a good way to start building a trail for a way out of the misconceptions and toward solutions.
There are articles which have addressed the issue. Ironically, a number of them speak about how seldom people brought the topic out of the “shame” box. In an online article posted in the news site, theguardian.com, a Japanese suffering from anorexia and bulimia found it hard to deal with the disorders because she doesn’t know where to seek help saying, “Bulimia is very common, but in Japan people don’t really care about mental health issues,” she explains. “People just avoid talking about them.” Consequently, the primary hurdle to overcome is the ignominy attached to the subject. It must therefore be the first problem to address in order to fully comprehend the gravity of these kinds of disorders. Apparently, the community has left the issue on mental health far behind the physical wellness.
Indeed, simple acts of introducing the anorexia nervosa cannot be underestimated. However, this leap must be coupled with other actions which bear fruits to help those who suffer from this problem not only gain sympathy but recover. To start with, this paper shall undertake to explore the probable causes Anorexia.

A Number of Causes to Address
Self-inflicted Causes
The torture of being under mental duress is not always about pressure from outside forces such as those from friends, family and cultural influences although the same can substantially affect one’s mental health as well, but which will be discussed later as we go on. There are several causes that spring from within. The desire to achieve a goal in an unrealistically short span of time is one of the most common stories told in books and articles. The tales often narrates a person overly conscious about their weight. They tend to set goals after goals where they end up neglecting other aspects of their lives that become detrimental to their health. They impose enormous pressure which clouds their judgment on adopting safe ways to reach the objective.
A female college student whose story is shared in the book: “Anorexia Nervosa and Recovery: A Hunger for Meaning”, also have narrated how she was blinded with her own weight target telling, “I stopped having periods around 110 [pounds]. But I didn’t care, because I was losing weight.”. She eventually managed to overcome it. Unfortunately, not all would be able to conquer the same and realize that something went wrong until it’s too late. There is no doubt that there are a lot of other stories untold or might be currently distressing another.

“Too embarrassing, too Isolated”
The thought that Anorexia is rooted from the excessive concern of a person over his appearance makes the subject seem to be not worthy of medical researches and further studies. Thus, the absence of credible evidence that Anorexia is a mental disorder and the ridicules of the majority downplay the seriousness of the condition when left untreated. It is alarming how individuals who suffer from the symptoms are afraid to consult their problems even with their families.
Moreover, despite the fact that it is from time to time portrayed on TV or mentioned news sites, it often stops with a story of a girl with some “crazy” problems. Walen (2014), in the book he authored, shared how he viewed anorexia growing up saying, “I heard about anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, usually from some made-for-TV movie featuring a skeletal, white, teenage girl struggling with why she was unloved while starving herself in hopes of being perfect enough to earn that love.” In between the lines, one can infer the undertones of how anorexia is trivialized. There is no implication that such condition can even be the primary cause of one’s death if left untreated.
While this cause does not directly cause anorexia, it fosters the culture of lack of awareness of the signs of the disorder which more often than not leads to serious cases. Therefore, it is note-worthy to make efforts to show that one should not be ashamed of having anorexia or suspecting to have one. People should also know that there are a lot of other individuals who share the same sentiments. The challenge to disseminate that medical attention is likewise proper remedy to Anorexia is now within the framework of guides in dealing with the condition.

Hashtag: Body Goals
Objectification; unrealistic goals portrayed in the mainstream media; and cultural pressures- these are preeminent agents which may trigger anorexic behaviors. The fixed standards and non-accepting inclination of the society also drastically affect one’s viewpoint about him. This explains why statistics, as provided for by Crowther et al., (1992) show that 10 million females and 1 million males in the United States have eating disorder struggles. Whether in print or in television, sexy has been defined as slim and petit. Though there have been attempts to redefine the concept of beauty and sexiness, the community remains stubborn in believing that only those with perfect body figure are worthy of admiration.
Subsequently, it generates a ripple effect toward the outlook of the viewers especially those who spend most of their time browsing from one page to another of women being portrayed to be the ultimate goal toward self-satisfaction. We cannot argue the influence of media to a vast majority of consumers and its misuse engenders numerous disadvantages. One of it proves to be Anorexia nervosa and other eating disorder.
This paper’s take on sociocultural factors as a leading cause of eating disorder such as Anorexia isn’t just made from mere speculations and correlations. This is even supported with different documents through the timeline of the history. As what was stated from the website www.psychiatrictimes.com, scrutiny of historical patterns has led to the suggestion that these behaviors have flourished during affluent periods in more egalitarian societies. Different eating disorder has therefore existed way back even before television and other forms of media took over the populations’ lifestyle. The digital platform may have aggravated the effects of the sociocultural pressure but it is the intolerance and bigotry of the culture itself that principally causes these eating disorders.

Anorexia and Its Alarming Mortality Rate
According to the American Journal of Psychiatry, Anorexia has the highest fatality rate of any mental illness. It poses a serious warning that anorexia is an ailment which requires profound medical attention and social support. The statistical results dictate that treatments and other approach must be attended to as the need clearly arises. The fact that people have died due to anorexia is already enough to seek immediate response from the prevailing yet unheeded condition.
There were also records in some parts of the world like Japan where Toshio Ishikwa, president of the Japan Society for Eating Disorders said that: “It’s often too late by the time the patient is seen in a hospital. Their condition is very severe. Sometimes they are even close to death.”
Evidently, the growing number of cases showed the public’s neglect to trace the origin of the condition and how it must be treated to prevent irreparable damage or erase mortality rate over such diseases. It seems that Anorexia can be as fatal as depression. The only difference is that depression can be directly linked to suicide, a mental issue, while the instances involving anorexia still puzzles medical experts of the elements which would unquestionably show the interrelation between mental and physical conflicts.

Overcoming the Illness
Increasing and Elevating the Depth of Awareness
Until now, there are more personal struggles shared than experiences of recovery. Help should therefore not stop at giving moral support, but more than that is the pursuit of mental healing. The attempt to spread awareness about anorexia demands to be more detailed so as to obliterate the thinking of fictitious mental disorder. Thus, it is something that must be taken seriously even when portrayed in movies.
Furthermore, there should be more concrete ways on how to deal with anorexia and how to attend to the needs of people with such disorder. To begin with, different media platforms can initiate the information dissemination by presenting criteria from limited researches to the public.
Production of Medical-related Studies
The rarity of articles and statistics on Anorexia nervosa raises the subject of the need for further studies. It includes methods for accurate diagnosis and systematic approach to treat one. Medicines and therapeutic programs are also beneficial not only to the individual himself but also to show the severity of the illness.
The physical conditions of patients are also vital in researches since deaths are chiefly because of the body’s inability to copy up with food intake changes coupled with mental instability. Neumärker KJ manifested in his researches that patients with anorexia nervosa are more likely to make a serious suicide attempt, with a higher expectation of dying and an increased risk of severity. What’s more, the mechanism of death in anorexia remains under the dim of scantiness in studies and explorations. Nonetheless, in many cases, death is attributed to complications. Szabo (2006) also noted how cardiovascular complications are usually involved in these deaths.
Thus, the problem does not only dwell in frivolous idea of the majority about anorexia but more importantly on the scarcity of documentation necessary to identify the appropriate treatment based on more accurate records.
Help Groups and Association
As mentioned earlier, suicide cases are due to mishandled or untreated anorexia. An effective remedy is support from others may it be a person close to him or groups who also experience the same. The comfort of knowing that someone is ready to help relieves a heavy burden from the patients. In like manner, they become more aware that their case is not an isolated one. Thus, it is not an embarrassing condition to be kept as a secret from friends and family and that it must be dealt with the help of another. Correspondingly, they are encouraged to seek medical advice and reduce the risk of fatality.
The effects of Anorexia on the body have been proven to inflict varying degree of damage depending on the coping mechanism of an individual. There can be no way that such disorder can be treated in a way doctors alleviate fever. Additionally, in severe instances, serious medical problems further complicate simple body mass concerns consequently leading to poor-health standing and chronic diseases.
It has undoubtedly affected many lives around the world and some of them might even have no clue that they are anorexic which needs medical attention. The perplexing conjunction of the mental and physical problem made it harder to deal with anorexia especially for the individual suffering from it. Some narratives expose the torture of dealing with mental torture of being forced to face issues especially in hospitals. Since the illness is yet to be fully comprehended, patients also go through the trial and error basis not to mention how they deal with the opinions of the society.
Hence, while the mystery of Anorexia Nervosa is still in the process of unfolding, the available resources shall operate as a guide not only to the experts but to the community in extending support and raising campaign against categorizing anorexia as a crazy behavior and weight obsession. It is more than being conscious about one’s shape and weight but is matter beyond the control of a person especially when he or she reaches the point of doing audacious means regardless of its negative aftermath to one’s overall wellness. Awareness, understanding, and the effort to treat the disorder are important elements not only to the patients directly affected by the mental concern but also to the community who might have first and foremost contributed to the development of the disease but which can ultimately be a part in the process of one’s recovery. By doing so, anorexia as a topic breaks free from being a taboo and shameful subject of conversation. It then builds bridges of empathy and compassion to prevent or address the issue at the earliest opportunity possible.

Works Cited
Crowther et al., 1992; Fairburn et al., 1993; Gordon, 1990; Hoek, 1995; Shisslak et al., 1995
Derman T, Szabo CP. “Why do individuals with anorexia die? A case of sudden death”. 2006 Apr; 39(3):260-2.
Hall, Lindsey & Ostroff, Monika. “Anorexia Nervosa: A Guide to Recovery”. Gurze Books, 18 Oct 2013.
Jáuregui-Garrido, Beatriz & Jáuregui-Lobera, Ignacio. “Sudden death in eating disorders”
2012; 8: 91–98. 2012 Feb 15.
Neumärker KJ. “Mortality and sudden death in anorexia nervosa”. 1997 Apr; 21(3):205-12.
“’Many Suffer but No One Talks about It’: the Rise of Eating Disorders in Japan.” The Guardian, 17 May 2016, www.theguardian.com/world/2016/may/17/many-suffer-but-no-one-talks-about-it-the-rise-of-eating-disorders-in-japan. Accessed 14 Nov. 2017.
Miller, Merry N., MD. “Culture and Eating Disorders”. Psychiatric Times. 01 February 1999. https://monkessays.com/write-my-essay/psychiatrictimes.com/articles/culture-and-eating-disorders. Accessed 14 Nov. 2017.
Sullivan, P. American Journal of Psychiatry, 152 (7), 10731074. (1995).
Walen, Andrew. “Man Up to Eating Disorders”. BookBaby. 1 May 2014.

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