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Italian VersionAnorexia nervosa
Published in Psychology | Viewed 6704 times by 456 visitors
One of the most interesting enigmas of anorexia nervosa is the typical symptom of the body image distortion. Schilder first examined the body image phenomena relative to normal as well as pathological behavior. He describes body image as “the picture of our own body which we form in our minds, the way in which our body appears to ourselves”.
Our body image is dynamic and ever changing over time, sensitive to the individual’s development, personal and social experiences.
Anorexia creates a discrepancy between the real body image and the perceived body image.
People with anorexia have a distorted view of their bodies, seeing themselves as overweight, when, in fact, they are not. This view can affect the whole body or focus on specific parts of it, especially belly, buttocks and thighs. Paradoxically, such a convinction is further accentuated as the state of malnutrition worsens.
Dr. Hilde Bruch maintained that body image distortion is a primordial symptom in anorexia nervosa, and in her book Eating Disorders she offered this explanation:” The urgent need to lose weight is a cover-up symptom, expressing an underlying fear of being despised or disregarded, or of not getting or even deserving respect. Desperate about their inability to solve their problems, the patients begin to worry about their weight and get a sense of accomplishment from manipulating their body.” Bruch also maintained that patients with anorexia learned to eat, not to satisfy hunger, but to satisfy the expectations of others; thus, their eating or not eating involved their self-esteem. She described anorectics as struggling against overcontrolling parents to gain a sense of “leading a life of their own.”
Millions of people suffer from anorexia and left untreated the disorder can become chronic and can result in severe health damage, even death. Fortunately, early diagnosis with prompt treatment greatly improves the chances of recovery from this disorder.
What is the treatment for anorexia nervosa?
Bruch maintains that “A realistic body-image concept is a precondition for recovery in anorexia nervosa”. Treatments usually include treating any serious medical problems first (if a person who suffers from anorexia is in any danger to him or herself through lack of eating, immediate hospitalization should be carefully considered) and then addressing the psychological issues that have led to the development and maintenance of the anorexia nervosa. Family-based therapy is a new and promising approach that involves parents in patient treatment, rather than relying solely on physicians and other specialists. Working with therapists, parents are taught more effective communication styles that focus on restoring family harmony. Group therapy, which is common in traditional settings, is often eliminated because patients with eating disorders tend to be highly competitive and this kind of therapy can undermine recovery by prompting competition for thinness. Group therapy can also become an “educational resource” for patients to exchange new strategies for getting thinner.
