The Disorder of Anorexia Nervosa
Uploaded by spootyhead on Apr 18, 2007
The Disorder of Anorexia Nervosa
Anorexia nervosa, more commonly known simply as anorexia, is a psychological disorder that can have devastating physical affects. Anorexia nervosa is an irrational fear of gaining weight. It causes victims to compulsively starve themselves, and exercise an excessive and unhealthy amount. This disorder is particularly dangerous because it is very difficult to diagnose, and there is no guaranteed cure or treatment because the cause itself is somewhat ambiguous.
The vast majority of people who suffer from anorexia nervosa are young teens, and female. Most researchers agree that at least one percent of U.S. women between the ages of twelve and twenty-five are anorexic. This would include about 300,000 young women. Some say that anorexia inflicts many more, as many as three percent, or half a million young women. The actual number of people who suffer from this disorder cannot be determined, since the number of victims who do not report their condition is unknown, but estimated to be very high. The number of older women, women in their 30s, 40s, and 50s, who exhibit signs of anorexia is growing. Many believe that the increase in the number of women in the workforce is directly related to this increase in the older age groups. Another group that seems to have a particularly high rate of anorexia, are athletes, especially female athletes. They exhibit, more than other groups, the dangerously excessive exercise.
Since its discovery in 1689, anorexia has been thought to be a strictly mental disorder. Recently however, theories have developed that the causes may also be physical, which would mean that a hereditary predisposition for the condition could exist. It is believed that the irregular release of certain hormones may trigger the disease. The brain’s release of the hormone vasopressin is thought to be the main cause. Vasopressin controls the body’s water balance, particularly as a result of salt intake. When salt is taken in, the secretion of vasopressin increases, which causes the kidneys to retain water. In anorexics, the body’s response to salt is not regulated. The secretion of vasopressin changes rapidly, and fluctuates high and low in response, but is not secreted in the correct amounts. All the affects of vasopressin on the body are not known. It...