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Hanna Vance

Michael Barber

PSY 1100

12/03/20

Anorexia Nervosa

I thought it was really interesting when we learned about eating disorders in our class.

There are many different types, but the one I want to focus on today is anorexia nervosa. It is

more common for girls to have eating disorders then it is for men, but still men can have eating

disorders as well. But more commonly females are more likely to suffer from the eating disorder

anorexia. Anorexia is a cognitive behavioural theory based on the need to control one-self's

eating habits and portions. When we were studying in class about the scientific method I

remember trying to apply the scientific method to the eating disorder anorexia.

My hypothesis is that people who have depression are more likely to have an eating

disorder. I think that people who are very self-critical end up becoming more nit-picky with

themselves. It would be a cool experiment to figure out. You would have to research some data

on anorexia but also analyze the hypothesis the depression weighs in. The McGraw-Hill book

states many factors that way into anorexia nervosa. It can be caused by social media perceptions,

family conflict at home, stress, biology, and even setting high standards for themselves. The

Mayo Clinic also defines anorexia nervosa as an “intense fear of gaining weight”.

I personally never felt like I was “anorexic” but there were times where I would be very

obsessed with my body image and I wouldn’t eat. So i think i just was oblivious to really what I
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was doing to my body. I remember thinking to myself that I was fat and I was always obsessed

with how I looked. And now looking back on photos I was so skinny and I did not have any

muscle or that nourishment that I needed. My sister also struggled with anorexia, even more than

I did. She was very obsessed with her body and would work out every time after she ate. It got to

the point where she would be so tired and pass out at times. Although we both suffered from this,

it didn’t look like we did from the outside.

The National eating disorders association (NEDA) said something that really was

fascinating to me. Stating, “You cannot tell if a person is struggling with anorexia by looking at

them. A person does not need to be emaciated or underweight to be struggling.” I agree with this

statement because I think sometimes people are unaware that their friends could be struggling

with an eating disorder, because they dont look like it. At least I never realized it until now. Even

reading the information on this website made me think I still may have some tendencies of

anorexia nervosa. I think there are many others who are just like me who may not even know

they have the symptoms of an eating disorder or even how they would go about fixing it.

The first important step is to realize that it’s okay to reach out for help. There are so

many organizations out there with ways to help. After reading over the list of symptoms on the

NEDA website I began to check off the list with things I had previously and still have today. I

realize now, that I wish I had known more about anorexia so that I could’ve had more

information about the consequences it would have on my body now and in the future. I’m glad I

had the opportunity to learn more about this cognitive disorder in this class and I now will be

able to help others who may be struggling with the same thing as me.
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References

NEDA, “Anorexia Nervosa.” National Eating Disorders Association, 28 Feb. 2018,

www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/learn/by-eating-disorder/anorexia.

Clinic, Mayo. “Anorexia Nervosa.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education

and Research, 20 Feb. 2018, www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/anorexia-

nervosa/symptoms-causes/syc-2035359