Anorexia

Outline

1. Introduction
2. Anorexia in Mexican women teenagers
3. Over controlling parents

1. Low Self-esteem
2. Depression

1. Conclusion

1. Introduction

In the last decade, a harmful eating disorder has been presented in teenagers, commonly known as anorexia. Medicine and psychology have established different hypothesis about the causes of this particular disease.  Highlighting, among this hypothesis, the environment of women teenagers with over controlling parents, as the main cause; due to the frequently presence of this particular environment in many cases of families with an anorexic member (Palazzoli, S. 1999). Therefore, the purpose of this research is to demonstrate that Mexican women teenagers from 12 to 17 years old might present anorexia because their parents are over controlling and this produces low self-esteem and depression. Thus, in the last 10 years, poor self-esteem and depression in women teenagers has been derived from over controlling parents, leading to anorexia.

Anorexia is an alarming issue that has to be studied.  Since it has become a constant problem among Mexican women, anorexia has turn to be a center of analysis. Over 20 thousand anorexic cases are registered each year (Milenio Diario, 2012). Due to these data, Mexicans are concerned about the possible causes that led to this eating disorder, which in some cases, has an unfortunately ending (Última Hora, 2013). According to León Hernández, 50 percent of the anorexic patients are totally cured, 20 percent survives but have relapses, another 20 percent progressively improves and 10 percent die (bienestar.salud180.com). Pointing out that parents’ role is an essential determinative factor of behavior (Irina, W.2009). Thus, this is the result of an interesting and delegated research about anorexic women teenagers’ environment, and their parents. In sum, the increase of Mexican anorexic patients is an alarming issue to be studied.

In order to understand anorexia in Mexican women teenagers, this paper must be focused on a particular cause of anorexia eating disorder. Among the different causes that derived anorexia disease, the one selected is the over controlling attitude of parents to their children. Thus, it is going to be proved that parents, who excessively control their children, affect their self-esteem development (page 1). This produces a low self-esteem in teenagers that leads to a significant problem, which is a depressive mood (Branden, N. 2001). In fact, the parents are the essential determinative factor that guides children behavior into an anorexic attitude, if they over control them (Irina, W. 2009).   Consequently, the research will analyze overcontrolling parents’impact in women teenagers’ self-esteem; which makes it poor and lead them to a depressive mood. Therefore, this paper will be focused on over controlling parents, as the particular cause of anorexia eating disorder, in order to understand it.

1. Anorexia in Mexican women teenagers

In Mexico, an eating disorder that has concerned women teenagers is anorexia. Among the different types of anorexia, it is anorexia nervosa the one selected to be analyzed. Anorexia nervosa, colloquially known as anorexia, is an eating disorder characterized by an impaired body schema associated with the loss of appetite or desired to eat food (ExpertosSeguros, 2009).  Moreover, the Latin term “Anorexia Nervosa” literally means nervous loss of appetite (Honey, C. 2007). In fact, this term misnomer because the rejection of food by people with anorexia has little to do with appetite, but much to do with strong familial undercurrent (page 15). In other words, it is a psychopathological disorder which initiates when the individual presents at the same time a serious of risk factors which together result in the anorexic development (Toro, J. 2004).  Thus, society has defined anorexia in many ways; for example, medicine and biosciences view anorexia as a physical problem, predisposition, or illness (page 16). Moreover, psychology and relative disciplines, regard anorexia as a consequence of poor self-esteem, body image distortion, a compulsive desire for thickness, or family dysfunction (page 16). Meanwhile, psychoanalysis has tried to explain anorexia through the environmental influences, specifically in the experience of a person first development stages (page 266). The relationships that the individual creates under this environment will determinate the way of being and feeling of every individual (page 266). These are some of the ways to define anorexia nervosa as an illness that affects the appetite of teenagers. Anorexia is the eating disorder for which women teenagers in Mexico are more concerned.

Anorexia eating disorder is not a new disease. This eating disorder has been presented among women teenagers from different generations. The origin of anorexia is recorded since the Second World War (Selvini, M. 1999). Mara Selvini Palazzoli describes it as a social epidemic that emerged as a true paradoxical phenomenon in 1945 (page 11). Meanwhile, a barrage of food was being presented, Maras professor, Luigi Villa found his first anorexic patient (page 11). In that time, it was hard for physicians to give a diagnose of the disease since there was no lesion presented in the hypophysis that may cause it (page 12). Thus, the only thing doctors could do was to examine the particular behavior of teenagers, due to their repulsive physical aspect (page 12). Then, it was discovered that these teenagers threw away food or hid it in order to make people believe they have already eaten (page 12). Adding a satisfactory reaction to the progressive loss of weight, makes it to consider as a psychic phenomenon (page 12). In the late 60´s, anorexia was considered a weird disease because there was not a dysfunction of the hypophysis (page 12). Thereby, anorexic cases have been recorded since the end of the Second World War, making its way significant with a lack of diagnoses. Therefore, anorexia is an old disease that has been affecting women teenagers.

Much research has been completed on this disorder that defines and differences anorexia from other eating disorders. These characteristics that define anorexia disorder are called diagnostic criteria. According to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV), anorexic diagnostic criteria is based on characteristics such as the failure to maintain body weight above the minimal normal weight established by the age and height of the patient, with the loss of at least 15 percent of what is expected (Selvini, M. 1999). Secondly, anorexic patients are dominated by fear of losing control over the weight or becoming ‘fat’ (page 27). Thirdly, a typically distorted body image, where the individuals see themselves as overweight despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary (page 27). Fourthly, the absence of at least three consecutive menstrual cycles known as amenorrhea (Carámbula, P. 2010). Fifthly, body debility caused by inanition (page 2). Sixthly, the abrupt changes of humor that they present (page 2). Lastly, an excessively cold sensitive presented in the individual (page 2). Therefore, these particular characteristics show the distorted way teenagers who tend to be anorexic, feel about themselves and what they experience. This research on diagnostic criteria defines how the failure of maintaining body weight introduces teenagers into the anorexia disorder.

Anorexia is mainly presented in women. Women present specific characteristics that match with anorexic theatrical aspects. According to the psychiatrist, María Adelaine Arboleda, between the 85 percent and 90 percent of the world's women are dissatisfied with their body (aupec.univalle.edu.co). In consequence, Selvini Palazzoli said anorexia is manifested in women with a ten times higher frequency than in men, due to the cultural expectations that pushes mainly women, rather than men, to worry about their bodies as perfect images (Selvini, M. 1999). Therefore, it is puberty the most vulnerable age for women to make extraordinary changes in their corporal aspects (page 218).  In this manner, women conceive a more direct expression of her suffering, which links with the theatricality aspects that characterizes anorexia (page 218).  Currently, these theatrical aspects have been accepted by society, making them obligatory for women to accomplish (Toro, J. 2004).  Based on the aspects above mentioned, in 2007, it was estimated that anorexia was the third most common chronic illness among teenage girls from 12 to 17 years old (Boughtwood, A. 2007). Meanwhile, the IMSS estimates that 90 percent of anorexic cases, that had been registered, are women (El Universal, 2012). Due to the common characteristics that women share with anorexia disease, it is men the ones who have less possibility to develop a disease like this.  In fact, it is women who have a higher risk to fall into an eating disorder in consequence of fitting in the theatrical aspects of anorexia.

Every eating disorder brings out consequences. Anorexia is a disorder that develops harmful consequences for the patients and for the people who surrounds them. On one hand, according to Eva Trujillo, medical director of the Center Comenzar de Nuevo, people who suffer anorexia has 12 times more probabilities to die from a respiratory disease, 11 times more to die from gastrointestinal diseases and five times more of losing their life to cardiovascular diseases (Robles, I. 2013). Anorexic patients may present hair loss, dental problems, brittle nails, and low intellectual and physical performance (Carámbula, P. 2010). Furthermore, they have skin dehydration, excessively fuzz growth, problems with sexual relations and cardiac risk due to the lack of potassium (page 3). Moreover, anorexic patients develop amenorrhea, anemia, sanguine problems, and esophagus and stomach ulcers (page 3). Low body temperature, alterations in heart size, decrease of arterial pressure, neurological problems, and suicidal or natural death, are also common consequences (page 3). The anorexic patient´s mood will be worse, dysphoric and experience more anxiety about food (www.rosewoodranch.com). In the majority, these diseases are very serious and irreversible, thus looking for a treatment to cure the patient from anorexia should be immediately (www.nspilar.com).  On the other hand, anorexia also brings consequences to the people who surround the patient, specially the family (Selvini, M. 1999). Some of these consequences include a rift between all the family members causing fights and communication problems (Ronen, T. 2004). The anxiety of the family, particularly of parents, to the increasingly visible thinness of the anorexic, determinates the apparition of begs, pressure, threatens and conflicts (Toro, J. 2004). A more stressful situation is presented for every family member (page 272). The conflicts and discussions are presented specially at eating hours when the anorexic patient is more anxious; with this the patient´s anxiety associated with food injection will increase (page 272). This makes the relationships colder and non-affective, isolating them from the group and disrupting socio-affective relations, with a lack of happiness and love (page 272). These are some of the consequences for which anorexia is considered a harmful disease not only for the patient, but also for people who surrounds the patient. In sum, anorexia, as every eating disorder, develops harmful consequences.

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