Anorexia Nervosa Case Study

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Growing up, Jasmine was a petite girl who was in gymnastics for several years. After quitting gymnastics, she entered a competitive arts school where she went through puberty and fell under the pressure of stress and the feeling of not being good enough. She believed she was not worthy enough to be at such a competitive school, so she started comparing her skills, grades, and body to her peers. This led her to become depressed and feel unworthy. In order to feel like she had control over her life, Jasmine started restricting her food intake. She began skipping meals which eventually led to days of fasting. She began abusing laxatives and started losing weight rapidly. It was not until years later, that she was diagnosed with Anorexia Nervosa. …show more content…
Anorexia Nervosa is an eating disorder that is characterized by weight loss. People with anorexia commonly limit what they eat and how many calories they consume. Many people with anorexia have a distorted view of their body. They may see themselves as overweight even if they are dangerously thin. In extreme cases it can lead to death. Bulimia Nervosa is a serious and potentially life threatening eating disorder. It is characterized by a cycle of binge eating and self-induced vomiting to compensate for binge eating. Binge Eating Disorder is characterized by recurring episodes of eating large amounts of food and purging afterwards due to feelings of guilt. The category for Other Specified Feeding and Eating Disorders was created for those who do not meet the criteria for any of the aforementioned eating disorders, but still have a significant eating disorder. Eating disorders do not discriminate and can affect people of all ages regardless of gender, sexual orientation, race, and ethnicity (National Eating Disorders Association). Eating disorders are extremely dangerous which can be caused by contributing factors such …show more content…
According to the American Psychological Association, researchers have discovered biological evidence of a genetic link to eating disorders. The study compared DNA samples of people suffering from anorexia with those of family members who also have an eating disorder, observing where on a person's “genetic map” certain genetic markers accumulated. The study revealed a strong evidence for genetic predisposition. This means that if a person has a family member that had or has an eating disorder, the person is more likely to develop an eating disorder as well (American Psychological Association).
It may be argued that the scarcity of evidence makes it hard to accept that eating disorders are caused by the media. However, the comparison of eating disorders in different periods of times and societies proves that media is a factor for causing them. The number of people affected by eating disorders has increased from the early and mid-twentieth century due to how much society has changed from then. In the early and mid-twentieth century, plump and curvy bodies were deemed beautiful. Having a body as described, depicted fertility and wholesomeness. However, now, skinny bodies are deemed
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