Anorexia
Loretta F. Kasper, Ph.D.
Ó2001
Directions: Today you will be doing a different kind of reading
practice. You will read the following
text on Anorexia, an eating disorder.
Then you will search the Internet to find at least ONE additional text
on Anorexia. After you read BOTH this
text and the one you find on the Internet, you will answer a series of
comprehension questions.
Read the following essay. Find one additional text on Anorexia and Read it. Then CLICK HERE to answer the comprehension questions. You will type the answers to the questions directly into the computer screen. When you are finished, click the button that says "Submit your answers." This will take you to a page that has the correct answers. To keep a copy of your answers, you will need to print them out.
Anorexia Nervosa
Anorexia
Nervosa is a disruption in normal eating habits characterized by an all
consuming fear of becoming "fat."
It typically starts in teenage women as a normal attempt to diet but
gradually leads to more and more weight loss, often more than 25% of original
body weight. There is an intense preoccupation with food and body size, which may
involve compulsive exercising. Anorexics intentionally starve themselves,
for although they are emaciated, they
are convinced that they are overweight.
As the eating disorder progresses, many normal activities may stop. Menstruation ceases in women and there are a
number of physical symptoms of malnutrition such as lowered heart rate, low
blood pressure, decreased metabolic rate and sensations of coldness
particularly in the extremities.
People
with anorexia nervosa are obsessed with food and deny that they have a problem
or that they are too thin. They may be
able to work or study and have some social life but usually function far below
their potential. Frequently they are also depressed. Sometimes anorexics must be hospitalized to prevent
starvation. Other anorexics are able to
check the downward spiral of weight loss and maintain a steady but seriously
underweight condition. In all cases,
even severe weight loss does not diminish the perception of being
"fat."
Consider
the following case of Deborah, a young woman suffering from anorexia nervosa:
--
Deborah developed anorexia nervosa when she was 16. A rather shy, studious teenager, she tried
hard to please everyone. She had an attractive
appearance, but was slightly overweight.
Like many teenager girls, she was interested in boys but concerned that
she wasn't pretty enough to get their attention. When her father jokingly remarked that she would never get a date
if she didn't take off some weight, she took him seriously and began to diet relentlessly --never believing she was thin enough
even when she became extremely underweight.
-- Soon after the pounds started dropping off,
Deborah's menstrual periods stopped. As
anorexia tightened its grip, she became obsessed with dieting and food and
developed strange eating rituals. Every
day she weighed all the food she would eat on a kitchen scale, cutting solids
into minuscule pieces and precisely measuring liquids. She would then put her daily ration in small
containers, lining them up in neat rows.
She also exercised compulsively, even after she weakened and became
faint. She never took an elevator if she
could walk up steps.
-- No one was able to convince Deborah that she
was in danger. Finally, her doctor insisted that she be hospitalized and
carefully monitored for
treatment of her illness. While in the
hospital, she secretly continued her exercise regimen in the bathroom, doing
strenuous routines of sit-ups and knee-bends. It took several hospitalizations
and a good deal of individual and family outpatient therapy for Deborah to face
and solve her problems.
Deborah's
case is not unusual. People with
anorexia typically starve themselves, even though they suffer terribly from
hunger pains. One of the most
frightening aspects of the disorder is that people with anorexia continue to
think they are overweight even when they are bone-thin. For reasons not yet understood, they become
terrified of gaining any weight.
Food
and weight become obsessions. For some,
the compulsiveness shows up in strange eating rituals or the refusal to eat in
front of others. It is not uncommon for
people with anorexia to collect recipes and prepare gourmet feasts for family
and friends, but not partake in the meals themselves. Like Deborah, they may adhere to strict exercise routines to keep off weight.
Loss of monthly menstrual
periods is typical in women with the disorder.
Men with anorexia often become impotent.
In
patients with anorexia, starvation can damage vital organs such as the heart
and brain. Excessive thirst and
frequent urination may occur.
Dehydration contributes to constipation, and reduced body fat leads to
lowered body temperature and the inability to withstand cold. Mild anemia, swollen joints, reduced muscle
mass, and light-headedness also commonly occur in anorexia. If the disorder becomes severe, patients may
lose calcium from their bones, making them brittle and prone to breakage. They
may also experience irregular heart rhythms and heart failure. In some patients, the brain shrinks, causing
personality changes. Fortunately, this
condition can be reversed when normal weight is reestablished.
Scientists
have found that many patients with anorexia also suffer from other psychiatric
illnesses. While the majority have
co-occurring clinical depression, others suffer from anxiety, personality or
substance abuse disorders, and many are at risk for suicide.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), an illness characterized by repetitive
thoughts and behaviors, can also accompany anorexia. Individuals with anorexia are typically compliant in personality but may have sudden
outbursts of hostility and anger or become socially withdrawn.
Treatment of Eating Disorders
An
important first step in overcoming an eating disorder is for the person to
acknowledge to him or herself and to helping professionals that an eating
disorder is a problem. Medical and
psychological help should be sought from individuals experienced in the
treatment of such disorders. A complete
physical examination including lab tests will often be necessary.
Psychotherapy
is also usually necessary. It may
include individual and/or group therapy.
One immediate benefit of such therapy is the feeling of relief at no
longer having to keep such an important part of one's life a secret. Psychotherapy will often focus on improving
self-esteem. It may be supplemented by nutrition education, discussions of
eating habits, and food selection.
This
combination of medical, psychological, and educational treatments can be
effective on an outpatient basis. In
extreme cases, e.g., a person with anorexia nervosa whose weight is extremely
low, temporary hospitalization may be required. What is most important is that
professional treatment be sought as quickly as possible. Attempts at self-help are rarely successful,
and the longer the disorder remains unchecked the harder it may be to overcome.
BEFORE
you answer the comprehension questions, search the Internet for additional
information on Anorexia. Find and read AT LEAST ONE
additional text on Anorexia. Use the information in this text AND in the
additional text you find to answer the comprehension questions. Go to Vivisimo.com to search.
Now go to the questions
at https://kccesl.tripod.com/hypertextstudy/anorexiafreeques.html
Page last updated on
November 9, 2001