Eating Disorders - Term Paper Example

?Eating Disorders: Final Assignment Many women are dissatisfied with their body image. More women than men acquire eating disorders for various reasons. Although, the number of men with eating disorders is slowly rising. Every person with an eating disorder is unique and handles its aspects and treatment differently. This assignment required me to watch three separate films dealing with body image and eating disorders. From this I made conclusions about the various characters, which will be discussed in detail within this paper. The three films are Dying to Be Thin, Thin and Real Women Have Curves. Dying to Be Thin In this movie I paid close attention to a character called Erin, who will be the focus of the next seven paragraphs. She was fourteen years old when she began her battle with anorexia nervosa. Erin is a good example of using adaptive functions. Costin (2007), discusses how the eating disorder serves a purpose to the person. Often times the eating disorder is used to make up for something the person is lacking. In Erin’s case she was sexually abused. Erin talked a lot about the need for control and power in her life. In order to cope with the trauma she suffered at the hands of her abuser, she created the eating disorder. It made her feel better because she had something she could control. The eating disorder allowed her to adapt to her circumstances. Anorexia may have soothed Erin in a strange way. It soothed the feelings of low self worth the abuse she endured caused. From the outside looking in it may seem to us ludicrous that an eating disorder could be soothing, but to Erin it was all she felt she had. Objectified Body Consciousness certainly applies in Erin’s case. John and Deborah Haydel (2003) looked at several aspects of OBC. They defined three major ones in their work. The first being surveillance. This deals with viewing the body as an outside observer, but only looking at its appearance and not taking into account how the person actually feels about their body, or what the person is able to accomplish with their body. The second aspect is body shame. This is when the person is feeling ashamed that their body is not conforming to what society may consider the norm. The third is appearance control beliefs. I want to discuss Erin in terms of the second aspect, body shame. As we already have established Erin was sexually abused. To me, that could warrant feeling shame about one’s own body. She wanted to look perfect. This was something she stated a few times during the film. Maybe she felt if her body looked perfect she could somehow wash away the shame she felt for what happened to her. The problem with that belief is no matter how much weight she lost she could look in the mirror and still feel that her body wasn’t good enough. I think culture, media and family played a huge role in Erin’s view of her body. It may have been that the sexual abuse was carried out by a family member or someone she knew. Erin talked about how she felt the abuse was the triggering event in causing the eating disorder. In this particular film many characters including Erin felt the media and society played a role. Looking at magazines and seeing models on television encouraged Erin and the other women on the film to feel thin equaled beautiful. The thinner you are the more beautiful you will be. Erin was certainly a victim of the perfection game. The more she fit into society’s cookie cutter image of what beauty was, the more she would be looked at as perfect. Erin mentioned the need to be and look perfect several times during the film, making it seem like an obsession for her. Erin seemed to be a very high stress person, especially when she felt out of control or she wasn’t able to do everything perfect. One technique that may help Erin is guided imagery. Costin (2007) describes this technique as a meditative state in which the person uses their imagination to connect their mind and body. Using this technique a person can access all five senses of the body. It can help ease a person into a relaxed state of mind. It can improve body image as well as assist in the symptoms of depression. I think Erin could benefit from something like this. It could help her imagine her body as being perfect just the way it is. I don’t think it would cure her of course, but I believe it may help ease some anxiety she is having. I would diagnose Erin with anorexia nervosa, though I am not a doctor. However, based on the information given by her in the film this is the conclusion I would come to. Three key concepts led me to my conclusion. The National Association on Mental Illness or NAMI describes patients with anorexia as being very afraid of gaining weight. I could see this with Erin as she spoke on the film about her need to continue to lose weight to gain her ideal view of perfection. To her, it seemed gaining a pound would be devastating. NAMI also discusses these patients as having a distorted body image. At one point during the film Erin was painting on a mirror. She painted some words such as fat and ugly. I could not see any fat on her body at all, but she saw something completely different. The last concept that led me to believe Erin has anorexia is her restriction of food, which is a tell tale sign of this illness. She had restricted her calories to such a low number that it was not healthy for her. It was not just simple dieting, it was starving herself. As for Erin’s method of treatment I think she needs to be in an environment where she can be monitored. NAMI points out that the first important matter is weight restoration. This is where a patient begins to gain back the lost weight in a healthy closely monitored way. I think this was especially important for Erin. By the time she was brought in for treatment, by her mother, she was suffering from low blood pressure, osteoporosis, as well as liver and heart damage. I also feel Erin would benefit greatly from therapy. She had a very traumatic event occur and in order to tackle her eating disorder she needed to tackle the trauma first. She did attend therapy during the film and it helped her to talk about what happened and to not keep it a secret any longer. At the end of the film Erin was leaving to continue treatment at home. It seemed as though she had very supportive treatment team. It would be very difficult to prevent this from happening, but I tried to put myself in the shoes of a friend to Erin. With knowing what I know now about eating disorders I may have been able to see the warning signs and encouraged her to get help early. In the film Erin stated that she kept her abuse a secret, but perhaps if she had confided in me as a friend I would have advocated for her early on before any of the symptoms of the eating disorder had even occurred. Thin In the second film Thin, the cameras followed a group of girls in a treatment center for eating disorders. There was one girl in particular that caught my attention immediately because of how young she was. Her name is Brittany and she’s fifteen years old. She will be the main character of focus for my discussion of this film. Watching Brittany during the film I certainly felt she was using her eating disorder as an adaptive function. Costin (2007) mentioned several functions I felt Brittany was using her eating disorder to make up for. These were low self esteem, low self worth, and the belief in the thinness myth. The third one I could really see in Brittany. One moment during the film she broke down during group therapy and through her sobs managed to say, “I just want to be thin, all I want is to be thin.” From what I could see she was already thin, too thin in fact. It seems she felt if she could be “thin” it would fix everything that she felt was wrong in her life. When she is restricting her food and starving herself everything will be ok in her mind. Brittany displayed body shame, which is an aspect of Objectified Body Consciousness. She, like Erin in the first film was painting on a mirror. She also painted words like fat and ugly to describe her body. I think this corresponds with her eating problems that began when she was eight years old. From eight years old to twelve years old she overate compulsively. Near twelve she became completely ashamed of her body and stopped eating altogether. At fifteen she began purging her food after almost every time she ate. I believe family influence and culture may have contributed to Brittany’s poor body image. The film did state that Brittany’s mother had struggled with eating disorders. Brittany talked a little bit about her mother’s struggle and at one point in the film her mother came to visit Brittany. What concerned me was that Brittany may have been picking up some of the habits from her mother. I felt in some ways her mother acted as an enabler. During a meal her mother acted very concerned about how much calories each item of food had. Watching closely I observed Brittany’s mother pushing food around on her plate and only eating small bites. Brittany’s mother obviously was still struggling with her own body image issues, which did not help Brittany with hers. Brittany would benefit from some mind/body techniques as her stress levels rose at different points in the film. There were a few moments during the film where Brittany was doing art activities such as painting, drawing and creating collages. Her face and body language seemed to exude a relaxed, more peaceful state. This gave me a light bulb moment. I had seen art therapy being carried out with young children before. Now, I know that Brittany is not a young child anymore, but I felt that she may benefit from art therapy the way the young children had. I remember it gave the children a safe outlet to explore without fear of being perfect. I feel this would assist Brittany in managing her stress and anxiety. If I had to diagnose Brittany I would say she was suffering from bulimia nervosa as well as anorexia nervosa. Though she did some restricting of food characteristic of anorexia, I picked up on some key factors of bulimia as well. She mentioned her compulsive eating and overeating which may have led to binging which is one symptom of bulimia according to NAMI. NAMI also points out that frequent purging is involved. This means ridding the body of the food eaten usually by vomiting, but may also be done using diuretics and laxatives. Brittany admitted since she had been in treatment she had purged on some occasions after meals even when she had only eaten a small amount of food. A main concept for both anorexia and bulimia is an abnormal body image. Brittany certainly displayed this concept. She was clearly not overweight, but often cried about how much she wanted to be thin and was even concerned at one point, if she drank too many fluids she might appear fat. My treatment plan for Brittany is a difficult one to describe. During the film Brittany claimed she wanted help and support and to get better, but she contradicted herself as well. Near the end of her time at the treatment center she started purging and then not eating again. She talked about how she wanted to immerse herself back into her eating disorder as soon as she got home. So, I would recommend she stay in treatment. I would also recommend that her mother seek treatment as well. If Brittany could see her mother getting help it may encourage Brittany to stick with it and they could support each other. To prevent this from happening someone should have stepped in when Brittany started her compulsive overeating at the age of eight. Brittany needed to be shown how to eat healthy by example. Another possibility may have been if her mother was able to seek treatment and recover. It would be a preventative measure because then Brittany’s mother would have been more able to help and recognize Brittany’s struggle with her own eating and body image problems. Real Women Have Curves The main character in this movie was Ana. This movie followed Ana’s journey into womanhood and her struggles with her body image. It was heartwarming and very inspirational. Ana to me did not have an eating disorder, but she was certainly at risk. If Ana had acquired an eating disorder during the film what would have been her adaptive function? I think the eating disorder would have been used to overcome low self esteem or even low self worth. I think she would have used the eating disorder to escape the pressure her mother put on her to be thin. Luckily for Ana she was able to overcome low self esteem and was resilient against her mother’s pressure on her. Eastland discusses the feminist approach pertaining to eating disorders in her work. She points out that there seems to be an unfair burden on women to maintain a certain ideal. The ideal would be to be thin, which would equal beauty. She also points out that if women are able to maintain this ideal they are perceived as having achieved certain greatness. It seems, it doesn’t matter the physical and emotional costs as long as the ideal feminine beauty is achieved. Women are praised and rewarded for this. This, in turn can cause women to continue harmful behaviors. In terms of Ana, her mother throughout the whole film told her it was highly important for her to attract a man and raise a family. There is nothing wrong with raising a family, but Ana wanted to go to college first. Her mother kept reminding her if she would just lose weight she could get a man. What was interesting to me was when Ana pointed out to her mother she was in fact overweight too. Her mother defended herself by telling Ana it didn’t matter now because she already had a man and a family. John and Deborah Haydel (2003) discuss one aspect of Objectified Body Consciousness that I saw in the film. This was the outside observer aspect. It is described as someone judging someone else’s body appearance based on its appearance alone, rather than taking into account that person’s thoughts and feelings. Ana’s mother did this countless times during the film. One example was when Ana was looking at one of the dresses sewn in the factory where she worked. Her mother makes the comment that Ana could never fit into a nice dress because of how enormous she is. Ana’s mother makes another comment to Ana about how if she lost weight then she could be beautiful. Ana stands up for herself, against her mother’s comments. Ana tells her mother that she is more than just weight. The culture and especially Ana’s family influenced her. Ana’s mother constantly put her down for her appearance. I was appalled when during the film her mother woke her up calling her fatty instead of her name, Ana. I think this comment and others made Ana feel self conscious about her body. This was evident on her dates with a boy in the film. She was surprised when he called her beautiful. She even told the boy when he got to college he would find someone thinner. Though she was resilient she still had issues with her image. One of her family members influenced in her in a good way, however. This was her sister Estela. Estela made a dress for Ana that was absolutely beautiful and it would flatter her body shape. Ana was surprised and Estela said, “pretty dresses aren’t just for skinny girls”. Ana did well in managing the stresses of her life, but I am sure she would have benefited from some stress management techniques. Costin (2007) discusses Touch/Massage Therapy as one option to reducing stress. This type of therapy needs to be used carefully and the patient needs to feel they are in a safe environment, or it may not work. It could have been relaxing and calming for Ana, especially after having worked long hours at the factory. If she was in a more relaxed state, she would be better able to handle the daily stressors in her life. As for treatment plan for Ana, I don’t feel she needed serious treatment. She may have benefited from some therapy where she could talk about her feelings and issues with her body image. Ana had great coping skills. She would speak out against her mother when she did not agree with her mother’s assessment of herself. Many of the patients with eating disorders in the first two films did not have this ability. One example of Ana coping was when she was hot in the factory and took her clothes off and was only in her underwear. Her mother was appalled and made horrible comments about Ana’s body. Ana ignored her mother and encouraged the other women to do the same as her. When all of them were in their underwear they stood against Ana’s mother and told her they were beautiful just the way they were. For prevention in Ana’s case I believe we should start with the mother. Ana’s mother had her own body image issues and would have been benefited from getting help. If Ana’s mother could have sought treatment for her own issues she may never have tried to pass them on to Ana. Also, I think Ana would have benefited from more positive female role models in her life. The men in her life seemed a positive influence, but sometimes it helps a young girl if an older woman supports them as well. Summary Before watching the three films I knew a lot about eating disorders and have struggled with my own body image issues throughout my life. It was still an eye opener though. It baffles my mind just how many young women suffer from eating disorders. It was a higher number then I thought it was. It also made me more conscious of how I perceive myself and others. If someday I have children I don’t want to make the same mistakes as some of the parents in the films did. I want to be a positive role model. In doing so I realize I need to be aware of how I am judging myself. Children look to adults on how to act and if we are always putting ourselves down, how will that influence the children in our lives? The first two films taught me how difficult it was to actually treat an eating disorder. Many of the young women in the films struggled for years to recover and some have not fully recovered. The last film, Real Women Have Curves, was so uplifting and I feel everyone should see this film. When it ended I felt a sense of hope. Hope, that I can believe in myself and what I look like does not define me as a person. References Costin, C. (2007). The eating disorder sourcebook: a comprehensive guide to the causes, treatments and prevention of eating disorders. New York: McGraw-Hill Books. Eastland, T. (n.d.). Eating disorders: a feminist issue. Vanderbilt.edu. Retrieved April 6, 2011, from www.vanderbilt.edu/AnS/psychology/feminist.htm Haydel, J., & Haydel, D. (2003, December 4). Objectified body consciousness : a theory-to-practice approach. ScholarsArchive at Oregon State University. Retrieved April 5, 2011, from http://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/xmlui/handle/1957/18943 NAMI | Anorexia Nervosa. (n.d.). NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness - Mental Health Support, Education and Advocacy. Retrieved April 6, 2011, from http://www.nami.org/Template.cfm?Section=By_Illness&template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=102975 NAMI | Bulimia Nervosa. (n.d.). NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness - Mental Health Support, Education and Advocacy. Retrieved April 7, 2011, from http://www.nami.org/Template.cfm?Section=by_illness&template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=102972 Read More