Anorexia: Understanding the Eating Disorder

What is anorexia?

Describe why anorexia is prevalent in young females than males.

Answer:

Anorexia nervosa, commonly known as anorexia, is an eating disorder characterized by an intense fear of gaining weight, a distorted body image, and severe restriction of food intake. It is considered a mental health disorder and is more prevalent in young females than males.

What is Anorexia?

Anorexia nervosa, commonly known as anorexia, is an eating disorder characterized by an intense fear of gaining weight, a distorted body image, and severe restriction of food intake. Individuals with anorexia often have an excessive focus on weight, body shape, and may engage in extreme dieting or exercise habits to prevent weight gain.

Explain why anorexia is viewed as an eating disorder:

Anorexia is considered an eating disorder because it involves abnormal eating behaviors and severe disturbances in an individual's relationship with food. It is classified as a mental health disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), which is the standard guideline used by healthcare professionals to diagnose mental illnesses.

Describe why anorexia is prevalent in young females than males:

Anorexia is more prevalent in young females than males due to a combination of genetic, socio-cultural, and psychological factors. These factors include societal pressure to conform to a thin ideal, internalization of thinness as beauty standards, higher rates of body dissatisfaction among females, and hormonal factors that may increase vulnerability to developing eating disorders.

Suggest ways in which anorexia can be prevented among adolescents:

Prevention of anorexia among adolescents is essential. Some strategies to prevent anorexia include promoting positive body image, fostering a healthy relationship with food, providing education about the risks and consequences of eating disorders, addressing societal influences that promote thinness as an ideal, and encouraging open conversations about mental health and body image.