Essay on Anorexia Nervosa and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Anorexia Nervosa and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Anorexia Nervosa is an eating disorder often found in young adolescent women, that has been characterized by a distorted attitude towards weight and body image, a set of behaviors calculated to produce weight loss and other physiological and psychological symptoms. Physiological symptoms include (according to the DSM III- R criteria) starvation, amenorrhoea, and a refusal to maintain weight above 85% of their ideal weight. Psychological symptoms include an obsessive pursuit of thinness, along with obvious body preoccupation, and an incessant rumination about food. In addition, they are also engaged in compulsive calorie counting and excessive physical exercise. The†¦show more content†¦In response to their obsessions, most people with OCD resort to repetitive behaviors called compulsions. The most common of these are washing and checking. Other compulsive behaviors include counting, repeating, hoarding, and endlessly rearranging objects in an effort to keep them in preci se alignment with each other. Some people with OCD have regimented rituals while others have rituals that are complex and changing. Performing rituals may give the person with OCD some relief from anxiety, but it is only temporary. People with OCD usually have considerable insight into their own problems. Most of the time, they know that their obsessive thoughts are senseless or exaggerated, and that their compulsive behaviors are not really necessary. However, this knowledge is not sufficient to enable them to stop obsessing or carrying out the rituals. After reading the description of Anorexia and OCD, one can identify many similar symptoms among the two disorders. In addition to these common symptoms, there are biological similarities as well, since serotonin dysfunction has been implicated as one of the possible causes of OCD and anorexia (as well as bulimia nervosa). These factors have led many investigators to study the relationship between anorexia and OCD. Most systematic and controlled studies using a large sample have concluded that there is an association between the two disorders. Various investigators found that OCD was more common in anorexicShow MoreRelatedEssay about Anorexia Nervosa and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder2367 Words   |  10 PagesAnorexia Nervosa and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder It has long been recognized that there are similarities between Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and Anorexia Nervosa. These similarities lie in the symptoms of the disorder. Many patients of both diseases report intrusive, fearful thoughts, a compulsive need to perform rituals, and an obsession with maintaining these rituals. In the case of anorexia nervosa these behaviors center on food and thinness whereas in OCD they are of a moreRead MoreEssay about eating disorders1286 Words   |  6 Pagesis very hard for a person with an eating disorder to understand since food is their tool for handling the stress and anxiety in their lives. Eating disorders affect millions of Americans each year (Eating Disorders 1). The most common eating disorders are Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, and Compulsive Overeating. These disorders are serious, and, when taken to extremes, can be life threatening as well. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;All eating disorders arise from a combination of long-standingRead MoreEating Disorders in Teenagers Essay511 Words   |  3 PagesEating Disorders in Teenagers Eating disorders are a growing problem in teenagers of today. 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Anorexia Nervosa has the highest mortality rate of any psychiatric illness. That fact should be enough for people to understand that Anorexia is a debilitating, uncontrollable mental disorder, but so many disagree and say its sufferers are simply over obsessive dieters. This is simply not true, not one of its victims wakes up and decides to become Anorexic or dangerously thin. Every person who has had Anorexia will tell you how miserable and terrifiedRead MoreAnorexia Nervosa: Etiology, Treatment, and Related Information1871 Words   |  8 Pagesto discuss several basic topics regarding anorexia nervosa. Anorexia nervosa is and eating disorder with an incredibly high mortality rate characterized by low body weight and an obsessive fear of becoming overweight that occurs primarily in females after puberty, yet before the age of 40 years. 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