What Causes Anorexia

Some say that anorexia is a psychiatric disease that doesn't yet have a definite cause. Those who display signs of anorexia focus on reducing there caloric intake by excessive dieting, and physical activity. "Between 31% and 80% of anorectic patients display abnormally high levels of physical activity and overexercise (Hebebrand et al., 2003). Furthermore, excessive physical activity and caloric restriction reinforce each other in the development of severe weight loss."

When I asked my friends the question, "What do you think the reason for anorexia is?" they all responded with answers along the lines of, "the desire to be skinny." Before taking a deeper look into the reasons why people are anorexic, it is easy to assume that it's just because they want to be skinny, or have a skewed self-image. Within the first few minutes of my research I realized that this wasn't entirely true. In a research study of 38 patients conducted by D. W. K. KAY, B.M., B. Ch. (Oxon), D.P.M. and DENIS LEIGH, M.D., M.R.C.P. the reasons for anorexia differed. They found that "parental neurosis, disturbed parent-child relationships, childhood neurotic traits, and previous neurotic illness are all common reasons for the disorder". Information from medicinenet.com tells us that the pressure to be thin and attractive does exist as a reason for anorexia, but there are other reasons too; some due to family situations including the encouragement of anorexia where family members are interdependent on each other to enforce the restrictive behavior.

Although these reasons makes sense, it is something often overlooked by outsiders who judge those with anorexia. Although a simple answer to a complex problem, the reasons for anorexia have already made me look at the situation through a different lens. At first, I saw it as an internal problem rooting from something so individual to the patient; something that they could control. But knowing that the disorder usually stems from family issues and childhood difficulties sheds a different light.

Although I have opened this new chapter, I still wonder if anorexics use this disease to control what is going on, or what went on in their lives. Do they feel they have lost all control of what surrounds them? Maybe this is why they choose to be anorexic; so they can control what is going on inside instead of the outside world they believe they have no reign over. Or maybe, it is still the desire to be skinny or "beautiful."

As I look further into the word beauty, I realize that thinness is only attractive in certain groups or society's. In some countries, being fat is a sign of good health and comfortable living; it is a sign of wealth. Sometimes, thin females are considered poor and loose respect from the rest of society which makes thinness a sign of low class. So what do they think of the people who desire, in their minds, to look poor? Now there is another thought that sends my mind soaring.



Citations

Dopamine antagonism inhibits anorectic behavior in an animal model for anorexia nervosa
European Neuropsychopharmacology 19.3 (March 2009): p153(8)., Linda A.W. Verhagen, Mieneke C.M. Luijendijk, Jacquelien J.G. Hillebrand and Roger A.H. Adan.


http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/abstract/100/419/411
Journal of Mental Science (1954) 100: 411-431. doi: 10.1192/bjp.100.419.411
© 1954 The Royal College of Psychiatrists

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