Anorexia nervosa By Mr Daniel Hansson
Anorexia nervosa Symptoms Prevalence Etiology Evaluation Conclusion
Symptoms (DSM-IV-TR) Behavioural symptoms: Will not maintain normal weight for their age and height, 85 % of an appropriate weight Emotional symptoms: Extremely fearful of gaining weight or being fat, even the person is already underweight Cognitive symptoms: Has a distorted view of body shape and weight Somatic symptoms: A female that misses three menstrual cycles in a row
Prevalence Lifetime prevalence of Anorexia nervosa in females is 0.5% 10 times more likely in females than in males Onset age is usually between ages 14-18 More common in western societies but is increasing in eastern societies because of globalization
Etiology Biological Cognitive Sociocultural
Biological Genes Appetite and weight regulation imbalance in hypothalamus (e.g. the hormone Leptin) Neurotransmitters, e.g. serotonin E.g. Mazzeo & Bulik (2009)
Cognitive Attentional biases and cognitive styles that distort reality/body image E.g. Southgate et al. (2008)
Sociocultural Media exposure, social learning E.g. Becker et al. (1995)
Evaluation +Can be used for therapy +Supporting research -Methodological problems with research -Simplistic: Each perspective emphasizes one factor
Conclusion An interactionistic explanation of anorexia nervosa is preferable, e.g. the diathesis-stress model or the biopsychosocial model