Anorexia Nervosa is probably more common in today’s ‘media’ focused era more than it ever has been before. Anorexia Nervosa is a very complex eating disorder/disease that involves both psychological and sociological components which result in the voluntary starvation and exercise stress by an individual.
Anorexia Nervosa: “A psychophysiological disorder usually occurring in young women that is characterized by an abnormal fear of becoming obese, a distorted self-image, a persistent unwillingness to eat, and severe weight loss. It is often accompanied by self-induced vomiting, excessive exercise, malnutrition, amenorrhea, and other physiological changes.
“Our daily definition of this condition often overlooks the actual psychological part of the condition which is often times the greatest factor. Medical professionals are still not able to completely characterize the causes of anorexia, and as such are the subject of debate in several instances. Generally we have been able to agree that it is both physiological and psychological.
If we look around at the media and the pressure that is placed on women to conform to a certain image, it’s easy to understand why anorexia is a growing problem in our society. Paula Abdul, Courtney Cox, Elton John, Calista Flockhart, Marie Osmond, Elvis Presley and Mary-Kate Olsen are a few on the growing list of celebrities themselves that have suffered at one point from an eating disorder. Self Confidence is a crucial element in developing this aspect, and as individuals is something that we should always strive for, before trying to be “peer-confident.”
