A health problem largely confined to a single population is anorexia nervosa (AN), which typically affects teen girls and, as an eating disorder with complex causal factors, frequently leads to severe illness or death. Essentially, these young females starve themselves, and due to multiple psychological issues and senses of body dissatisfaction generated by cultural forces. This serious health problem may be generally defined as modern as well, but the question remains: what enables these damaging influences to have such a devastating impact on adolescent girls and so endanger their well-being? Ultimately, the proposal here is that inherently poor self-image, psychologically rooted, is the underlying cause and one which may be addressed through consistent parental support at earlier ages, thus promoting the girl’s ability to withstand social and peer pressures as they mature.
To understand the totality of this issue, it must be first recognized that age alone is a critical factor. Both genders are noted as being highly susceptible to external forces as they enter this stage of life: 鄭dolescents and young adults are particularly sensitive to environmental葉hat is, contextual or surrounding擁nfluences�(HealthyPeople.gov., 2017). This is hardly surprising; it has long been known that the biological and emotional states of teens in general are extremely volatile. What is more concerning here, nonetheless, is why AN primarily strikes females. As will be seen, much of this is likely cultural, given the traditional social emphasis n the young female’s need to be attractive. Moreover, there is a further disturbing dimension to the eating disorder, in that it is fueled by depression and anxiety. A cycle of disorder then exists; depressed, the girl becomes increasingly dissatisfied with her appearance, and consequently denies herself food even more. Research in fact increasingly affirms psychological comorbidity connection those with AN (Brand-Gothelf et al, 2014, p. 759). It then becomes more difficult isolate the primary factors, as each influences the others.
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A further issue lies in the noted social emphasis on the young woman as actually required to have a slender body type. Reinforcing this effect is the variety of modern influences to which teen girls are constantly exposed. The realm of entertainment alone has long been noted as promoting highly unrealistic and literally unhealthy ideas of the ultimately slim female. What then occurs, particularly for teen girls, is that television and social media effects interact with pre-existing body dissatisfaction and essentially enhance the dissatisfaction (Ferguson et al, 2014, p. 5). Attractiveness becomes inextricably linked to excessive thinness, which is presented as an ideal of young female attractiveness. Given this reality, it is hardly surprising that the urgent need to starve the self evolves. It must seem to the girl afflicted with AN that there is no better means of enhancing her body and thus acquiring an appeal that her surrounding world virtually demands.
Given the complexity of AN, it is difficult to conceive of a single force which may combat the many, negative factors. There is the culture, the body dissatisfaction increased by that culture, and how the modern and limitless media expressions reinforce the need to be extremely thin. Then, depression both promotes AN and is fueled by it. Nonetheless, the answer may well lie in childhood, rather than be addressed when the adolescent age is reached. That is in fact likely 鍍oo late,�so it seems reasonable to consider that the earliest possible parental support may equip the teen girl to resist the other forces mentioned. Ultimately, AN is health problem which may be best addressed through consistent parental support at earlier ages, thus promoting the girl’s power to withstand social and peer pressures as they mature.
