History of Anorexia

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The effects of anorexia range from short to long term, and can, in extreme cases, be fatal. In a figurative, as well as literal, sense, the disease first rages its attack upon the mind. When an individual’s body is in a period of extreme malnourishment it will break down the fattiest tissue available, which is the brain. In a study on cerebral atrophy in anorexic patients, it was discovered that the body “eats” the brain tissue in order to restore vital nutrients for the body to continue to function (Laessle 188). Additionally, there are a number of other severe physical effects, including kidney failure, osteoporosis and, in female anorexics, amenorrhea (loss of menstrual cycle). The psychological consequences of the disease are equally serious. As anorexia slowly envelopes an individual’s life, he or she will become alienated from friends and family. Obsessed with counting every calorie and monitoring every minute change on the scale, the individual’s identity becomes eroded by his disease. Moreover, there is an increased risk for additional mental disorders, including anxiety and depression. When left untreated, the individual could be provoked into committing suicide.

In the attempt to grasp control by means of restriction, the anorexic individual loses control, as his or her life becomes devoted to the sole purpose of watching the scale go down. The disease consumes the individual, eating her away little by little, leaving her as powerless and voiceless as ever.

Works Cited

Bell, R. M. (1985). Holy anorexia. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Freeman, Chris. Overcoming anorexia nervosa: a self-Help guide using cognitive behavioral techniques. London, Robinson, 2002.

Hans, Hoek Wijbrand. “Review of the prevalence and incidence of eating disorders.” Hoek - 2003 - International Journal of Eating Disorders - Wiley Online Library, onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/eat.10222/abstract.

Laessle, R.G. “Cerebral Atrophy and Vigilance Performance in Patients with Anorexia nervosa and Bulimia nervosa.” Neuropsychobiology, vol. 21, no. 4, 2008, pp. 187–191. doi:10.1159/000118575.

Venes, Donald, and Clarence Wilbur Taber. Taber's cyclopedic medical dictionary. Philadelphia, F.A. Davis Co., 2005.