Psychology- Counseling - Dying to be thin Essay

Psychology- Counseling - Dying to be thin - Essay Example The consequences of the disease can be seen in most aspects of the physical body, including the potential for death. The starvation, which is part of the restrictive eating that progressively lowers the body weight, can create a situation within the body from which recovery is no longer possible, the victim wasting away into death. The treatment for this disorder includes creating acceptance in order to combat the denial and health considerations that include gaining weight under the care of a doctor. The issues that bring on this disease can include traumas that include circumstances that are beyond the control of a child, thus creating the need for that child to find a way to control something in their life. The ability to control the intake of food becomes one way to assert his or her ability to have control. Another driving factor in the development of body distortion issues is the high level of media objectification of women and the way in which they are defined through standard s that few women can attain. This social pressure combines with the ideas of perfection and control in order to create the psychological stew in which the disease is formed. In addition, social networks on the internet are now providing forums through which community can be found for those who are still deluded and believe that it is a lifestyle. As well as community, dangerous tips are given about how to combat the recognition of parents and doctors of the existence of the disease within those who are suffering under it’s delusions. Defining Anorexia Nervosa The disease of anorexia nervosa is defined by a internalized belief that the body is not thin enough. The psychology of the victim is framed by a warped sense of their own image, a belief that their body is carrying too much weight and by controlling how much weight they carry, they will be controlling an aspect of their emotional life that is outside of their control. It is the internalized belief that through starvatio n or binging, they have grasped hold of something within their experience that has remained illusive. However, the disease is an obsession and has nothing to do with having true control over one’s life. The disease will then take control, leaving all other aspects of life outside of the concerns of food intact, exercise, and the movement of the scale as it moves lower and lower. Anorexia is defined by changes in eating behaviors as they become compulsive, obsessive, and attached to perceptions of body image. The division between what is a change in diet and what is a slip into anorexic behavior is a blurred line that happens at different points for different people. The most difficult problem in identifying anorexia is that the perception of the body has become greatly distorted throughout society through the objectification of an unreasonable weight ratio through media representation. According to Lucas (2004) it is common in studies of college age women to find that half wi ll display abnormal attitudes and distorted perceptions of their bodies. This, despite its close identification with anorexic tendencies, represents a social problem as it invades the population rather than a spike in the occurrence of the disease (p. 20). In order for a diagnosis to be made, physiological and