The media is often blamed for causing women to have eating disorders because it portrays stick thin women as beauty ideals. However, anorexia is much more complicated than mere body dissatisfaction. It is often a symptom of an underlying psychological issue, such as depression. It is not unusual for anorexics to also be self-mutilators (they may cut or burn themselves) and have suicidal tendencies. Anorexia has the highest mortality rate of all mental disorders, with the number one cause of death as suicide. People suffering from anorexia tend to have a predilection for addiction, such as alcoholism, drug addiction, even sexual addiction.
Anorexia in Ghana
A recent study published in the British Journal of Psychiatry seems to challenge conventional wisdom that media is to blame for an anorexic's compulsion to be gaunt. Researchers looked at cases of anorexia in Ghana. They concluded that anorexia in this part of rural Africa was not driven by a morbid fear of obesity, but rather a response to stress and a desire to gain some sense of control.
Anorexia Before Media
Moreover, anorexia has existed long before Hollywood, Barbie, television, super models, and fashion magazines with airbrushing. Historians point to the existence of anorexia during the Middle Ages. During this time period anorexia was most prevalent among religious figures. A well known anorexic was Saint Catherine of Siena, who viewed starvation as a sacrifice for God and a path to purity. She ended up dying at the age of 33 from the illness.
Biological Factors
Recent research has found that those with anorexia often have genetic predispositions to this disease. In "Causes of Eating Disorders- Biological Factors" on mentalhelp.net, the article states, "inherited biological and genetic factors contribute approximately 56% of the risk for developing an eating disorder." Two neurotransmitters that seems to have abnormal levels in the anorexic are dopamine and serotonin. Altered levels of dopamine can lead to a decreased sense of pleasure as well as repetitious behaviors. Overproduction of serotonin can create high levels of stress and anxiety. Both of these symptoms are hallmark behaviors of an anorexic.
While there is not one particular cause for the reason people develop anorexia, it seems that it may not be a media-created illness. (Though the media probably should be held responsible for creating unrealistic expectations for both men and women of what their bodies should look like). By blaming the media, anorexia is not viewed for what it really is, a psychiatric illness. The underlying psychological causes of this disease must be addressed in the individual in order for recovery to occur.
Sources:
Bennet D Sharpe M Freeman C, Carson A, Anorexia nervosa among female secondary school students in Ghana. B J Psych 2004; 185:312-317
Engel D, Staats Reiss N, Dombeck M, Causes of eating disorders- biological factors. Feb 2, 2007.(mentalhelp.net)
 |
