FREE ESSAY ON ANOREXIA: A PROBLEM WE ALL FACE

ANOREXIA: A PROBLEM WE ALL FACE

The World Book Encyclopedia defines anorexia as, one who avoids food for psychological
reasons. Most experts believe that those who suffer from anorexia are starving themselves
to avoid growing into adults. It is also common knowledge among these experts that
anorexics want to gain attention and a sense of being special. People say that anorexia
doesn't stop at affecting the victim at hand; instead, it surpasses the anorexic. Which
means that anorexia affects the personality of the person; that it branches off to affect
other parts of that anorexics life. Body image obsession, self-devotion, attention
grabbing, selfishness, are all attributes which keenly describe anorexia in the eyes of
the media and most hospital institutions. It is that view point which affect modern
societies view eating disorders, and anorexia in particular. Examples can be found in the
recent attention paid towards anorexia, most of this well deserved attention, however, is
not positive. Sketches on television viewed by the programming of such shows as Saturday
Night Live, poke fun at anorexics by making them into exactly what the media prefers them
to be, and shows that all the attributes are true. Others like radio legend Howard Stern
has games like Guess The Bulimic. It is things like these that make it very difficult for
one suffering from an eating disorder to come out and seek help in fear of being hurt.
Imagine, if you will, being in lonely, miserable cell. You have the ability to leave at
anytime, and there at the door are your family and friends, encouraging you to escape.
However, there is a drill bit in your back and every time you try to move, it pushes into
your back. You're restrained, restricted from freedom. That is a sketchy portrayal of the
eternal pain the anorexic mind suffers from. It's hardly a child trying to get attention,
much less a child making a dangerous attempt to gain social acceptance. Those who treat
anorexia in modern medical practice try, not to cure the eating disorder, but rather to
go straight to the root of a deeper psychological problem. The number of misinformed
professionals in the medical world is staggering. This can only be shown by the education
they receive while in college. The information on eating disorders is vast, but woefully
understudied by qualified persons. Few in the medical community have a meaningful
connection with anorexia or the family of eating disorders it belongs to. The education
of the general public is crucial to the development of medical treatment. If the public
cares about something, the problem will get resolved in time. Like my father says, If the
moon were made of gold, or some other valuable material, we would have colonies there
already. This is very true in today's medical industry, if something is profitable or
appealing to the public or a private investor, then there will be progress. The media
does not promote the healing of anorexics in anyway, and we have too few private
investors to support the fight against this escalating problem. The methods employed by
American hospitals today to cure anorexia are equivalent to treating AIDS with cough
drops. Neither will do anything to cure the disease or the person. There is no advanced
knowledge of anorexia, and the treatment is treating nothing other then the sense that
disease controls the person, and not the other way around. Because current medical and
hospital treatment is terribly outdated and torturous to the victims of anorexia, the
medical community needs to revolutionize not only the treatment of its victims, but also
the education of the general public.
The diagnostic criteria for anorexia by the official DSM IV (Diagnostic and Statistical
Manual of Mental Disorders) is ...refusal to maintain body weight...... Intense fear of
gaining weight or becoming fat even if underweight. The DSM IV also specifies two types,
the Restricting type and the Binge eating/purging (self-induced vomiting or the misuse of
laxatives, diuretics, or enemas.) type. The 
Restrictive type has not regularly engaged in binge eating or purging behavior. The Binge
eating/purging type the person has regularly engaged in binge eating or purging behavior.
Although the second type is close to Bulimia, it is a much more rare occurrence that the
Anorexic Binge eating/purging type will be involved in that practice. Most people in this
world do not even know what anorexia is, and it is generally accepted that those who have
it starve themselves in order to achieve a perfect body. It is also stereotyped that
those who are anorexic are selfish, greedy, vain, and obsessed with looking good. All
those listed and well-known stereotypical views of an anorexic are such a far cry from
the truth. It is quite discouraging to think that many common people acknowledge these as
facts.
Anorexia is a very deep, private and emotional coping mechanism, which totally engulfs
its victim into a world that is almost impossible to enter. Usually an anorexic will lose
15% of their former body weight in a very short period of time, and at some peaks can be
as low as 60% of the expected weight for their age and height. Anorexia often
mischievously entraps some people you would least suspect. An anorexic friend of mine is
about 5' 5 tall, and weights about 70 pounds, she is not at all the image that most
people have of an anorexic. She is stunningly beautiful, has a wit and intelligence that
is difficult to match let alone surpass. She is also very energetic, playful, helpful and
one of the best friends a person could possibly hope to have. She is a joy to be around.
When you get to know her, when you really get to know who she is, she permits you to get
a glimpse of what she really feels like, what she has to live with everyday of her life.
She is sixteen, and has been anorexic for the past 5 years of her life, and has been
hospitalized just as many times. The past 5 years have had their ups and downs, but
anorexia has always been a part of them. I think if not for her loving and endlessly
devoted father and brothers, I would have never met her, because she would never have
lived that long. Even today, she tries, she tries so very hard to escape from her cell.
If it were only possible for you to hear her voice, the sadness when she cries of how
much she wants to let go of anorexia, to forever forget the pain it has caused her, it
would make even the strongest man in the world weep. It is not from pity that one would
sob, but rather from knowingly not being able to do anything about what has encased her
soul. She is quite possibly the most mentally strong person I have ever met. There are
approximately eight million people out there like her, who suffer from this disease,
which cannot be cured with a magic wand or medication. It is this friend I talk about
that represents a growing number of people who suffer, yet are frustratingly helpless.
Anorexia is not a new disorder; it can be traced back as far as the 13th century. It was
seen quite often with religious women who were actually canonized as being saints for
their fasting practices. (DATA FROM BELL, 1985, DAVIS &BELL, 1985, ZERBE, 1995) These
women were often referred to as holy anorexics. The cultures that contained these young
women valued spiritual health, fasting, and self-denial. Holy anorexia made those women
highly valued in status in both church and society. When the definition of holiness was
altered with the changing values in the world, so eventually was the incidence of holy
anorexia. It was not until the late 20th century that anorexia rapidly claimed more
people. In the late 1800's, women who were a little bit pudgy were considered to be of
fine stock, because they did not have to work. They were considered the wealthiest. As a
result, they were fed well and delicately. Women also covered most of their bodies with
skirts lower than the ankle. This changed in the early 1900's when fashion styles changed
and skirts instead became a little bit higher. Legs were being shown off, and the stress
on thinness became more and more common. As time developed women were forced to become
thinner and thinner, and skirts got higher and higher. Thinness was key to success until
the time of Marilyn Monroe, who possessed a somewhat voluptuous figure. This gave young
and older women alike a breath of fresh air. They no longer had to be that thin. This
dramatically changed as the years rolled by, and finally the famous model Twiggy came
onto the fashion scene. Her impossibly small waistline and incredibly thin body shocked
the country. Everywhere girls across the country tried to immitate this model and things
like purging and self-starvation started to run rampant. The 1980's saw the social
epidemic of anorexia, and since then it has multiplied to the point in 1999 when we have
over eight million people with eating disorders, 5% of whom are men. That is close to 2%
of the population, eradication of that much of the population seems like a huge problem
and in fact, that is what is happening. There are more people with anorexia then there
are with AIDS. Even in China, a county of catastrophic famines, where a little extra
padding was considered as a sign of good health, we now see startlingly high numbers of
anorexics and bulimics, and the numbers are going straight up.
The causes of anorexia are can go many different ways, Multifaceted physical and mental
health problems and their development usually have a number of different contributing and
perpetuating factors, as stated by organizations around the world dedicated to eating
disorders. These factors could be any, or a combination of physical, emotional or sexual
trauma, cultural emphasis or preoccupation with body image ideals, peer influences, loss
and grief, starvation, brain chemistry, purging behaviors, physiological effects of
dieting, relationships, stress, coping styles. It is this list that is generally
understood universally as the possible causes of all eating disorders, and they apply
directly to anorexia. Society plays a role without a doubt, constant pressures
surrounding every young person today is unbearable to many, and to consistent push for
knowledge, social acceptance, success, behavior modification, popularity, athletics and
creativity make this time exciting as well as extremely difficult to live in. Out of all
eating disorders, anorexia is the most terminal with as much as 20% dying. A young woman
with anorexia is 12 times more likely to die than other women her age without anorexia.
Canadian children in grade three and four say they'd rather lose a parent, get cancer, or
live through nuclear war than be fat. The causes are many, and the solutions almost the
exact opposite.
The anorexic mind set involves many key factors. The inability to perceive oneself as
equal or better than anything close to human, always subhuman. Although this is not
always true, in most cases it is. The anorexic suffers in such a way that makes them
believe that they are not worthy of anything or anyone. Some feel they are a burden to
society and that they are the root of problems of those surrounding them. Vanity is a
very small factor in the life of an anorexic. Some even try to make themselves look bad,
such as dressing inappropriately or applying too much make up or none at all, to avoid
uncomfortable confrontations with others. Eating in public is also a threatening and
scary event for any anorexic. You could even say that this is a form of anxiety disorder,
where the person is unable to accept the judgement of those around them. An anorexic also
at times is not able to cope with a situation in a logical manner; often arguments about
food can take place between parents and the sufferer. Dinner tables can become
battlegrounds, and emotional struggle is always evident. To understand anorexia you must
understand the person falling under its spell, it is not the fault of the person that
they act that way, but the anorexia taking place of all the persons functioning. Strict
daily schedules are commonly made. 
The negative-mind, a phrase coined by Peggy Claude-Pierre, is a term used to describe the
anorexic mind, fighting against the actual mind, what the person is actually thinking and
wants. The negative mind can become so powerful that the actual mind is minute in
comparison. The person becomes totally under control of the negative mind. This can also
be called Confirmed Negativity Condition, also a phrase coined by Mrs. Claude-Pierre.
Self-hatred and other such things characterize CNC. Self-degradation and self-hurtful
behavior are some things the negative mind influences. This is one theory for why the
anorexic is reluctant and privately keeps from telling others about what they are going
through. Anorexics also tend to be perfectionists, although not always, this is also a
stereotype. It is the need for order in their lives that drive perfectionism. Depression
also results from anorexia with the lack of social activity and self-imposed exclusion of
friends and family. By doing that an anorexic can create a safe, non-judgmental island
for them alone. Anorexics appear depressed and detached from everything and everyone
around them. While that is true in most cases, some also seem to be very socially
involved, popular, happy, smart, well off and all together, but still they live in a
private world of torment and anguish, which is not at all pleasant. I believe that the
anorexic is the epitome of a caring, strong willed individual, but the inability for the
anorexic to resist acceptance of responsibility for certain issues, turns these admirable
characteristics into a near death illness.
The anorexic may have had more responsibility when they were too young for it, such as
taking care of a parent, or essentially being the parent. Taking on the parent role as
the support for their family, this develops tragically later in life, usually when they
realize they cannot fix the worlds problems, and take it upon themselves to hold the
blame. Often not believing they deserve to live, or that they should die because they
failed. This is believed to be another of the many possible causes for anorexia.
For an the anorexic it is very difficult to explain to others what they are going
through, and when they do try to get treatment they are often told lies, hurtful lies.
Countless times the doctor finds something to blame, may it be that the child is selfish,
eager for attention, or that their parents are to blame in ways of abuse, sexual or
otherwise, or bad parenting. But those problems are the minority of causes, yet
psychologists still use these theories to understand the anorexic. Anorexia is not
something that you can learn about from a book, or from a friend or from stories, to
truly understand it, you must live it. The closest thing you can come to it without
actually having it, is being compassionate to the victim, at least try to help them. Many
doctors are crude, rude, mean and just plain jerks to some people who suffer from
anorexia. It is the hurtful and degrading media images flooding our lives that influence
some if not much of this. Marianne Apostolides best puts it in the book Inner Hunger. She
describes her entire experience of anorexia to bulimia, from the beginnings to the final
recovery. It is a horrifying and heartbreaking portrayal of what goes on behind the
scenes, in the life of an anorexic. She explains the day to day struggles, the multiple
unsuccessful attempts at recovery because either the treatment was not putting her needs
first or because the treatment was too uncomfortable.
Hospitalization techniques must be modified by creating more personalized treatment. A
clinic, which represents this kind of treatment, is the Montreax Clinic. It was opened in
1988 by Peggy Claude-Pierre author of highly revered book The Secret Language of Eating
Disorders. In 1988 it began its outpatient practice specializing in eating disorders. The
Montreax Clinic started its residential inpatient program in 1993. Mrs. Claude-Pierre has
developed methods, which are friendly and powerful. She has had personal experience with
her two formerly anorexic daughters and has helped both of them, one after another to
recover.
She found that there are five stages to recovery, she refers to it as the Montreax Life
Wellness Scale. In has all the stages she listed and described what has been the most
successful approach to eating disorders to date. The first, the Acute Stage is Infancy,
this is the stage of total dependency. The second, the Emergent Stage, is equivalent to
the development of a young child. It is one of investigativeness and limit testing. The
third stage, The Reality Stage, is the adolescent phase of treatment. It is a time when
the pendulum swings from dependency to a false courage and the new identity begins to
coalesce. During this stage, the patient moves into partial care. The fourth, the
Interactive Stage, is equivalent to young adulthood, the beginning of maturity and
objectivity. It is a time of moderation. She becomes an outpatient. In the fifth and
final stage, the Environmental Integration Stage, the patient returns to her home
environment but makes three to four assessment return trips within twelve months and has
a five-year follow-up. These assessments determine the patient's ability to reintegrate
and adapt to adult life. Using this method has been found to be extremely successful and
unique. Recently though the Montreax Clinic has come under fire and, had its licensed
revoked. It was said that the clinic practiced force feeding methods, variations of abuse
and unorthodox treatment to its patients. The witnesses to the alleged faults in the
Clinic were null. There were 5 out of 400 former employees who had complaints, not one
former patient or parent had anything negative to say at all about the clinic. Despite
efforts by those connected with the clinic in one way or another, the investigative team
still closed the clinic. The results of a further inquiry are inconclusive as of now.
Peggy Claude-Pierre's method has been found to be the most supportive, helpful and
successful method ever implemented and the patients usually come back to do service for
the clinic because they are so happy from their recovery process, they wish to spread the
joy.
Careful and gentle strides must be taken in order to get this rising disorder out into
the public in a positive and well-articulated manner. Anorexia and all eating disorders
alike may be something that will never be cured, but we have to start somewhere, and we
must start now. I saw once in a movie that it's better to end a paper with a quote that
you feel sums up everything you are trying to say, I feel this one says it best. More are
killed by word of mouth than by the sword.
- Leonardo Da Vinci
Bibliography
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1997.
3. Opposing Viewpoints. Mental Illness, opposing viewpoint. San Diego: Greenhaven. 1995.
4. Brumberg, Joan Jacobs. Fasting Girls. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. 1988.
5. Sherman, Robert Trattner. Bulimia: A Guide for Family and Friends. Lexington:
Lexington. 1997.
6. Hall, Lindsey and Cohn, Leigh. Bulimia: A Guide to Recovery. Carlsbad: Gurze. 1999.
7. Siegel, Michele Ph.D. Surviving an Eating Disorder. New York: HarperCollins. 1997.
8. Levenkron, Steven. Treating and Overcoming Anorexia Nervosa. New York: Warner Books.
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15. http://www.something-fishey.org
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http://WWW.BHS.BERKELEY.K12.CA.US/departments/science/anatomy/anatomy98/eating/html/title.html,
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