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.

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