Anorexia Nervosa
Affecting nearly eight million people in the United States alone, anorexia is a disorder of adolescent development that peaks around ages 14 or 18, but in rare cases, early 20’s. Anorexia is best understood in terms of the development of the total personality in the context of their family. Adolescents raised in families that place a strong emphasis on achievement along with external appearance are more likely to develop anorexia nervosa. People suffering from anorexia, lack the ability to cope with demands from that period, specifically the need to develop a clearly defined personal identity as well as personal competence. The criteria for anorexia nervosa as established by the DSM III-R includes refusal to maintain body …show more content…
Of all the celebrities, there is one who has battled multiple addictions and disorders that is not afraid to share her story with the world, Demi Lovato. Starting at just age three, she always wondered when her stomach would be flat and with her mother weighing a mere eighty pounds and battling a disorder of her own, Lovato began to lack confidence at a young age. By age nine, she was already binge eating, which lead to her purging and cutting so the kids at school would no longer call her fat. Lovato competed in beauty pageants until age 12 which strongly contributed to many of her insecurities such as her arms. On her first tour, which ran through the summer months, Lovato wore a red leather jacket every day to conceal her arms. She lacked confidence in her body, even though she weighed in at only one hundred and five pounds. In 2010, Lovato, age 18, was checked into a rehab for self harm, cocaine and alcohol addictions, anorexia and bulimia and bipolar disorder. Since being released from rehab, Lovato has worked with a trainer to maintain a regulated diet and workout plan that work in sync to her disorders. She has also started her own mental health awareness campaign “Be Vocal: Speak Up for Mental Health” which encourages young women to speak out about their problems and seek help. When asked how Lovato stays so positive, she tells about her …show more content…
I have always been a very short and skinny girl which my parents say is because I was born almost a month prematurely. All throughout middle school, high school and continuing into college, everyone I meet always comment on how skinny I am. Anorexia is something that my parents have always been afraid of me being diagnosed with since it doesn’t take much food to fill me up. I would usually only have a banana or small amount of cereal for breakfast and lunch, which led my parents to believe that I was starving myself. What they didn’t understand is that I just was not hungry and didn’t think it made sense to force myself to eat. Now that I’m in college and control what, how much, and when I eat, I have realized that I do eat a lot less portion wise and frequency wise than the majority of my friends. Even though this is true, when people jump to the conclusion that I am anorexia it bothers me. I workout alot and take pride in my body, but today’s generation would rather jump to extreme conclusions and tear people down than try and understand where they are coming from. Loving one’s body is a huge trend nowadays, which has lead to the promotion of bigger and plus sized girls flaunting their bodies and being proud of them. Incidentally, this has also lead to a lot of criticism and hate towards girls who are genetically skinny. Girls especially need to learn to not only
Affecting nearly eight million people in the United States alone, anorexia is a disorder of adolescent development that peaks around ages 14 or 18, but in rare cases, early 20’s. Anorexia is best understood in terms of the development of the total personality in the context of their family. Adolescents raised in families that place a strong emphasis on achievement along with external appearance are more likely to develop anorexia nervosa. People suffering from anorexia, lack the ability to cope with demands from that period, specifically the need to develop a clearly defined personal identity as well as personal competence. The criteria for anorexia nervosa as established by the DSM III-R includes refusal to maintain body …show more content…
Of all the celebrities, there is one who has battled multiple addictions and disorders that is not afraid to share her story with the world, Demi Lovato. Starting at just age three, she always wondered when her stomach would be flat and with her mother weighing a mere eighty pounds and battling a disorder of her own, Lovato began to lack confidence at a young age. By age nine, she was already binge eating, which lead to her purging and cutting so the kids at school would no longer call her fat. Lovato competed in beauty pageants until age 12 which strongly contributed to many of her insecurities such as her arms. On her first tour, which ran through the summer months, Lovato wore a red leather jacket every day to conceal her arms. She lacked confidence in her body, even though she weighed in at only one hundred and five pounds. In 2010, Lovato, age 18, was checked into a rehab for self harm, cocaine and alcohol addictions, anorexia and bulimia and bipolar disorder. Since being released from rehab, Lovato has worked with a trainer to maintain a regulated diet and workout plan that work in sync to her disorders. She has also started her own mental health awareness campaign “Be Vocal: Speak Up for Mental Health” which encourages young women to speak out about their problems and seek help. When asked how Lovato stays so positive, she tells about her …show more content…
I have always been a very short and skinny girl which my parents say is because I was born almost a month prematurely. All throughout middle school, high school and continuing into college, everyone I meet always comment on how skinny I am. Anorexia is something that my parents have always been afraid of me being diagnosed with since it doesn’t take much food to fill me up. I would usually only have a banana or small amount of cereal for breakfast and lunch, which led my parents to believe that I was starving myself. What they didn’t understand is that I just was not hungry and didn’t think it made sense to force myself to eat. Now that I’m in college and control what, how much, and when I eat, I have realized that I do eat a lot less portion wise and frequency wise than the majority of my friends. Even though this is true, when people jump to the conclusion that I am anorexia it bothers me. I workout alot and take pride in my body, but today’s generation would rather jump to extreme conclusions and tear people down than try and understand where they are coming from. Loving one’s body is a huge trend nowadays, which has lead to the promotion of bigger and plus sized girls flaunting their bodies and being proud of them. Incidentally, this has also lead to a lot of criticism and hate towards girls who are genetically skinny. Girls especially need to learn to not only