Questions like these may bring a reality into the anorectic's mind after
similar questions are brought up to think about (Long, 1992). Once both weight
and clear thinking is resolved, the patient is ready to return home. Like
alcoholics and other substance abusers, once freedom is allowed, chances of
relapse are possible. The therapist must make sure the patient is
self-disciplined with lifetime goals by resolving any emotional conflicts that
may lead the patient back to her previous lifestyle for satisfaction. It is also
important for the family of the anorectic to attend family therapy as well, to
get over being too protective or in denial of any conflicts and to approach the
problem of their daughter or son in a different fashion. The support of peers
and family are very important for the anorectic so not to return to the
self-satisfying lifestyle of pursuing a perfect weight. Anorexia nervosa is a
frightening disease for the families and for society to deal with. As social
animals, the signals sent out by the people around us and the media tell us that
if we want to be happy, successful, or loved we need to be thin and beautiful.
When we were children our mom would be talking on the phone to a friend, I think
Jennifer could date Mike easily if she just lost 15 pounds. Almost every female
is envious of another and unhappy with the body that she is blessed to have.
Being skinny has been pounded into our minds since the day we develop
self-esteem by those depicted on television and the natural need to feel desired
or accepted by others.
When I was in high school I was always self-conscious about how others viewed
my physical appearance. I would compare my body to that of other girls in the
class. I went on varying diets, from eating healthier food to crash diets. It
was a ridiculous mindset when I look back upon it. It wasn't until my last year
of high school that I decided that I was happy with my appearance and did not
need to be preoccupied by what others thought of me or what the media told me I
should be. What was frightening to me was learning in health class about
anorexia and bulimia and in the back of my mind thinking of those ruinous
lifestyles as future alternatives. Afterwards, I thought about how many other
girls in that class, or that has seen that video, were thinking the same thing
and possibly acting upon these thoughts. What can parents and peers do about
this problem? With 1 out of every 500 teenage girls suffering this disease, I
believe parents and teachers should be educated about the subject, this way as
soon as symptoms become apparent, intervention occurs before major growing or
developing problems may occur. We cannot change society's general view of what
perfection is, or expect influences to consider what it has done to the
self-esteem of our children. However, we can influence the way our children view
weight and physical appearance by teaching them how to accept who they are. This
may be accomplished by explaining the natural changes in their bodies during
puberty and offering healthy approaches towards building self-confidence such as
activities that do not revolve around physical ability or appearance. Children
cannot help but absorb the world around them, it is our duty as adults to help
them filter out what may lead to self-destruction.
Bibliography
Banks, Tyra. (1998). Tyra's beauty: inside and out. New York. Harper Pernnial.
Berk, Laura E. (1997). Child development. Boston. Allen and Bacon. Crisp, A.H.
(1980). Anorexia nervosa: let me be. London. Academic Press Inc. Dally, Peter
and Gomez, Joan. (1979). Anorexia nervosa. London. William Heinemann Medical
Books Ltd. Long, Phillip W. (1997). Eating disorders. Harvard Mental Health
Letter, 9. 47 paragraphs. [Online]. Available at http://www.mentalhealth.com/mag1/p5h-et03.html
[1999, March 1]. Valette, Brett. (1988). A parent's guide to eating disorders.
New York. Walker
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