How is anorexia considered a disease?

Question

How can anorexia, or bulimia, be considered a disease that might be genetic, when the choice is made by the person to become that way.
What I mean is that they are choosing not to eat, and are not medically incapable of eating.

Answer 1

Anorexia nervosa is a type of eating disorder which is primarily characterised by the sufferer's obsession with food; the intentional restriction of their intake of it plus a general psychological obsession caused by starvation. A person who is suffering from anorexia is known as an anorectic.

Anorexia alters an individual's body-image to the point that they may see themselves as being fat and bilious irrespective of their actual size: this distorted body image is a source of considerable anxiety, and losing weight is considered to be the solution. However, when a weight-loss goal is attained, the anoretic still feels overweight and in need of further weight-loss.

The attainment of a lower weight is typically viewed as a victory, and the gaining of weight as a defeat. 'Control' is a factor strongly associated with anorexia, and an anorectic typically feels highly out of control in their life. However the nature of the condition with respect to such psychological factors is highly complicated.

Answer 2

Your question is premised on the idea that it's a choice, which is probably the source of your confusion. It's not a choice. While initially dieting may be a choice, many archetypal behaviors of anorectics (preoccupation with food, cutting food into small pieces, eating alone, loss of interest in any other activities, etc.) were induced in non-body-dysmorphic healthy adult men in the Mississippi Semi-Starvation Experiment. This strongly implies that the behaviors come AFTER the starvation, not before, and create a positive feedback loop: lack of food creates obsessive behaviors, obsessive behaviors further reduce amount of food, intensifying behaviors, and so on.

And although initially dieting may be a choice, the body dissatisfaction that precedes it is most certainly culturally induced. From the moment we are born, we women are bombarded with starvation imagery; we are taught that we are nothing more than our bodies; that we are walking wombs; that we must be thin and pretty or else we will not be accepted by society. Conversely, as we develop, we suddenly become sexualized by the men around us: girls who develop first are "sluts" (like how large your chest is has anything to do with anything!), all girls are suddenly cat-called from random cars, harassed, hit on, etc., and some subconsciously react by trying to lose weight to avoid looking like a woman, thereby avoiding the attention.

In addition, an astoundingly large fraction of women and girls are raped or otherwise sexually assaulted, and anorexia is just one way that some victims deal with the trauma, and it sure doesn't help that society blames victims of rape for looking too attractive. And yes, there probably is a genetic component, but the thing about genetics is that it's not some static process: it changes, and external and internal stimuli determine which genes are expressed and which are dormant in an ongoing, dynamic interaction.

For some anorectics, these motivations may be known and understood intellectually; for others, they may not. Unfortunately, simply knowing why doesn't cure anorexia, anymore than knowing that most spiders are harmless helps someone with arachnaphobia. Not every behavior is a pure and free choice. I wouldn't wish anorexia on my worst enemy, and I certainly wouldn't choose it if I had a choice. But I don't.

Answer 3

Anorexia and bulimia are no more choices than diabetes or depression. There are genetic coponents to eating disorders, but not every person who has a relative with the disease becomes anorexic or bulimic.

Its not a choice, however - at least not a conscience one. It all depends on the person's life and situation.

Answer 4

I am so frustrated with people saying it is a choice. Consider it a "mental" illness. Perhaps that will help you to understand.

But there is no choice about it. Would anyone choose to suffer, ever? I will use myself as an example--I would have chosen to eat earlier today rather than continue to feel terrible, but there was no way I felt I deserved to put food in my mouth. Absolutely no way. So I had to walk away from the frig. I couldn't do it. Someone might as well have tied my hands.

Does that help? I figured some insight from the "horse's mouth" might be useful to you...lol.

Answer 5

anorexia is a disorder (eating disorder) people with anorexia often times also have body dismorphic disorder or BDD where you have distorted view of yourself. when you start binging and purging (vomiting) that is considered bulimia nervosa. taking laxatives or diet pills as a means of weight loss is considered an EDNOS or eating disorder not otherwise specified. -meredith

Answer 6

It`s a mental disease where the patient believes they are too fat and they starve themselves or deliberately `puke` after a meal.I put the blame on Hollywood celebrities who think being skinny is `cool`!!!

Answer 7

Mental disease.