With the development of the techniques, economics and industry, health problems are more obvious than before due to the new environment, and there are many new diseases appear worldwide, which include anorexia nervosa, which was widely known in the late 19th century. Anorexia, as the disease that has a significant number of patients all over the world, especially in America, is a severe illness and even result in death in 20th and 21stcentury. According to J.H, in theUnited States, there are much more than 10 million females and 1 million males struggling with an eating disorder such as anorexia or bulimia. (1) Another research from Sullivan shows that “anorexia nervosa has the highest premature fatality rate of any mental illness.”(2) As a result, individuals start to discover the pathogeny of anorexia since they realize how grave it will be. Finally, they find that there is no single factor that contributes to anorexia nervosa; it is combined with psychological, biological and environmental factors, which increase the risks of it. (3)
Psychological Factor
Figure 1: (Source:http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_w1yDJeronhg/S6oNHfViZfI/AAAAAAAAACo/BUZfnZHJQnE/s1600/anorexia02ez3.jpg)
From the book entitled “Body Image”, it illustrates that many women in British, Canadian, US, and Australian women are dissatisfied with their body since 19thcentury until nowadays. (4) Because of that, those people have a power of suggestion that they need to lose weight. From individuals’ experience, they can realize that their minds can control their own actions, and that is almost the same case to eating disorder that psychological factors such as low self-esteem, personality disorder and intense dissatisfaction with appearance play a role in anorexia. (5) For people who have a low self-esteem, they are easily influenced by others and being upset, and for those persons who used to be fat and being laughed by others more intend to lose their weight; when they have normal weight, they probably have an attitude that afraid of gaining weight, so they will avoid the type of food avoided which contains high carbohydrate. (6) Except on the above, family also affect children’s psychology and contribute to anorexia. Sometimes parents give their children too much pressure due to the high expectation, and those children will easily become anxiety and depression that near to anorexia gradually. There is an example that a 17 years old girl, who has a history of depression, gets anorexia due to the high expectation about an A students from her parents. (7) In other words, to some extent, her parents push her to get anorexia. As a result, anorexia is related to psychological factors, which includes low self-esteem, unsatisfied with appearance and pressure.
Biological Factor
Figure 2: (Source:http://new.lakeforest.edu/images/userImages/vaidyt/Page_6066/melissa%20stevenson%201.jpg)
It is hard to identify that whether biological factors will result in anorexia, but it is exactly one of the possibilities which probably lead to it. Genes, as the most obvious part in biology, is a controversy aspect which is almost clear yet in anorexia. Although some experts still indicate that genes have nothing to do with anorexia, there is a statistic from “The Alliance for Eating Disorders Awareness” illustrates that people whose parents have anorexia are more likely to develop it 12 times than others. (8) The New York Times also identifies that “studies of twins show they have a tendency to share specific eating disorders,” (9) and it also mentions that “researchers have identified specific chromosomes that may be associated with anorexia.”(10) Therefore, it is clear that anorexia is truly impacted by genes, so human being can comprehend this disease better. Furthermore, anorexia can also be affected by HPA system (hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis), that includes Hypothalamus (a small structure that controlling behaviors and do regulation of body temperature and secretion of hormones), Pituitary gland (involves in thyroid functions, the adrenal glands, growth, and sexual maturation) and Amygdala (small almond-shaped structure that control the major enmotion), regulate stress, mood, and appetite. (11) If HPA system is not as usual, individuals might lose their appetite and develop anorexia. In addition, dopamine is controlled by HPA system as well, which is involved in reward-seeking behavior.(12) “Imbalances with dopamine and serotonin may explain in part why people with anorexia do not experience a sense of pleasure from food and other typical comforts.”(13) Moreover, as mentioned before, serotonin is which is produced by tryptophane (an essential amino acid), and starvation stop tryptophane go to brain; in this case, serotonin activity is reduced by patients through eating less, so it creates a calm sense that anorexics will not feel hungry even if they almost die of mulnurition. (14) Therefore, biological factors, such as genes and HPA system are making contribution to anorexia.
Environmental Factor
Figure 3: (Source: http://modernmedicalguide.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Anorexia-nervosa.jpg)
Environmental factor focuses on the society and culture. Since 19th century, the publics inAmerica especially women pay more attention on their weight and body image because thinness becomes “a symbol of beauty and success in contemporary thinking.”(15) The media and magazine appear many skinny models as the cover to attract individuals’ eyes. Although the book entitled “Body Image” shows that interview work suggests that women criticize the unrealistic and skinny body shapes in the media (16), the reality is that the weight for models is decreasing while the average weight for American keeps increasing annually. (17) That is not a good phenomenon because that is not only have negative impacts on models, but also on the publics. Those models who try to be as slim as possible are 25% contributing to anorexia. (18) More seriously, some models even die of anorexia. For instance, Isabelle Caro, who was an actress and French model, was death when she was 28 years old. If individuals concentrate on the publics, a magazine call “Socializing to Be Thin: Facebook Linked to Eating Disorders” illustrates that facebook can lead to anorexia because as one of the social media, it displays some unrealistic images and information, which can result in eating disorder because teenage girls are easy to be mislead, and they try to be the same body shape as the slim one. (19) Moreover, a statistics shows that there are estimated 280,000 young women try to main the slim body image by starving themselves. (20) It can indicate that how environment affects human beings. Apart from that, cheap and high-caloric foods are aggressively marketed that can make contribution to anorexia. (21) Fast food, as the cheap, fast and high-calories food, is found inAmerica and become one of theAmerica cultures. Those Americans eat fast food much often due to they do not have time to cook. As a result, western people which include American have a high risk to have anorexia comparing to others.
Conclusion
Since more and more people are suffering from the anorexia in 20th and 21st century, it is time to alarm them pay more attention on their health, especially for those who intend to be attractive and beautiful. If they want to prevent anorexia, they should understand the causes of it at first. Those causes for anorexia are complex, and it is combined with psychological, biological and environmental factors. Psychological and environmental factors are a little bit easier to adjust than biological one. The reason is that individuals cannot change their genes to prevent the specific disease. For Americans, their culture of fast food has strong influences on anorexia as well as the social media, which display the narrowed body image, especially in 21stcentury. As a result, they should reduce the frequency of eating fast food and improve the ability of realizing the unrealistic body images on the media, newspapers, or websites.
(1) Crowther, J.H., Wolf, E.M., & Sherwood, N. (1992). Epidemiology of bulimia nervosa. The Etiology of Bulimia Nervosa: The Individualand Familial Context (pp. 1-26) ashington, D.C.: Taylor & Francis.
(2) Sullivan, P. (1995). American Journal of Psychiatry, 152 (7), 1073-1074
(3) Academy for Eating Disorders (AED). “Risk Factors of Eating Disorders.” Academy for Eating Disorders (AED). <http://www.aedweb.org/Risk_Factors.htm>
(4) Sarah Grogan, Body Image, (New York: Psychology Press, 2008) <http://www.teachersyndicate.com/2011uploads/2/Body%20Image%20-%20Understanding%20Body%20Dissatisfaction%20in%20Men,%20Women,%20and%20Children%20(Second%20Edition).pdf>
(5) Stice, E. (2002). Risk and maintenance factors for eating pathology: a meta-analytic review. Psychological Bulletin, 128, 825-848.
(6) G. F. M. RUSSELE and others. EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES ON THE NATURE OF THE PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDER IN ANOREXIA NERVOSA. Psychoncutoendocrinology, (Great Britain: Pergamon Press, 1975) Vol. l, pp. 45-56.
(7) Michael Sidiropoulos. Anorexia Nervosa: The physiological consequences of starvation and the need for primary prevention efforts. McGill Journal Medicine. 2007 10(1):20-25.
(8) The Alliancefor Eating Disorders Awareness. What causes Eating Disorders. The Alliance for Eating Disorders Awareness. Accessed on 10 March 2012. <http://www.allianceforeatingdisorders.com/what-causes-eating-disorders>.
(9) A.D.A.M. “Anorexia Nervosa.” New York Times. Accessed on 18 March 2012. <http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/disease/anorexia-nervosa/causes.html>
(10) A.D.A.M. “Anorexia Nervosa.” New York Times. Accessed on 18 March 2012. <http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/disease/anorexia-nervosa/causes.html>
(11) A.D.A.M. “Anorexia Nervosa.” New York Times. Accessed on 18 March 2012. <http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/disease/anorexia-nervosa/causes.html>
(12) A.D.A.M. “Anorexia Nervosa.” New York Times. Accessed on 18 March 2012. <http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/disease/anorexia-nervosa/causes.html>
(13) A.D.A.M. “Anorexia Nervosa.” New York Times. Accessed on 18 March 2012. <http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/disease/anorexia-nervosa/causes.html>
(14) Newsweek. “NEWSWEEK COVER: Fighting Anorexia – New Research Into Its Origins – and Its Youngest Victims”. Newsweek. 27 Nov 2005. Accessed on 18 March 2012. <http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/newsweek-cover-fighting-anorexia—new-research-into-its-origins—and-its-youngest-victims-55718237.html>
(15) R. CHADDA and others. “SOCIO-CULTURAL FACTORS IN ANOREXIA NERVOSA.” Indian Journal of Psychiatry, April 1987, 29(2), pp. 107-111. (1 March 2012)
(16) Sarah Grogan, Body Image, (New York: Psychology Press, 2008) <http://www.teachersyndicate.com/2011uploads/2/Body%20Image%20-%20Understanding%20Body%20Dissatisfaction%20in%20Men,%20Women,%20and%20Children%20(Second%20Edition).pdf>
(17) Media Influence. <http://www.raderprograms.com/causes-statistics/media-eating-disorders.html>
(18) Media Influence. <http://www.raderprograms.com/causes-statistics/media-eating-disorders.html>
(19) Donovan Elizabeth. “Socializing to Be Thin: Facebook Linked to Eating Disorders.” Psychology Today, June 21, 2011. <http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/youth-and-tell/201106/socializing-be-thin-facebook-linked-eating-disorders>
(20) Media Influence. <http://www.raderprograms.com/causes-statistics/media-eating-disorders.html>
(21) A.D.A.M. “Anorexia Nervosa.” New York Times.Accessed on 18 March 2012.
<http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/disease/anorexia-nervosa/causes.html>
Anorexia Nervosa 
