Therapy Analysis - Anorexia & Bulimia
Falling into the slender trap: the causal factors
With size 00 models and celebrities splashed across the media, it is difficult for an impressionable adolescent not to idolize the stereotypically 'beautiful', particularly for those with a propensity for emotional instability. Success and worth are often equated to being thin, but contrary to popular belief, the sight of ultra-thin models rarely start an eating disorder in adolescents, it is only later on when the disorder is in 'full swing' that the sufferer uses these waif-like celebrities to justify their problem. The consensus seems to be that "they're doing ok, why is everyone worrying about me?" It may be that the paparazzi's constant search for the perfect 'bad' photo to appear in celebrity magazines creates such pressure for celebrities to be thin, that they themselves develop the eating disorder. The more they are photographed, the more weight-conscious they become.
Despite the ever-increasing awareness of the risks of eating disorders, the existence of highly damaging Proana (Pro anorexia) and Pro-mia (Pro Bulimia) websites can dangerously hinder recovery. The section of the pro-eating disorder community responsible for generating these websites is predominantly girls suffering from anorexia who have largely positive or permissive attitudes towards the illness. The sites include forums for sharing 'tips' on how to lose weight and even trick therapists and doctors, or 'those who are out to make us fat' as they refer to them. In a clear demonstration of the distorted body image associated with eating disorders, images of emaciated women are posted as 'thinspiration'. The pro-ana and -mia websites personify anorexia as if an only friend, clearly demonstrating the presence of both psychological and emotional factors that contribute to the disease. Sufferers often have a low sense of self-worth and image, and a compulsive, neurotic or obsessive nature, as seen by the characteristic eating patterns/ abstinence.
In the past decade, there has been a growing shift in research into eating disorders away from explanations that rely solely on psychosocial factors, toward the significance of disturbances in brain neurotransmitter pathways. Research has led to the belief that the addictive nature of eating disorder patients is due to the stimulation of dopamine receptors in the mesolimbic reward centre of the brain, resulting from the strenuous exercise and starvation. These act like drug delivery services to increase circulating levels of β-endorphins, and are potentially addictive.
It is the multifactorial nature of eating disorders that makes the development of treatment strategies difficult.
