Anorexia Nervosa: A Brief History

Anorexia nervosa is the medical term for anorexia. It is an eating disorder. Generally, it is characterized by abnormal low body weight, and having an intense fear of gaining weight. People suffering with anorexia nervosa have a mindset about controlling their weight and shape, by doing extreme efforts (by exercising excessively) which will significantly interfere with their lives. To prevent gaining weight or to continue losing weight, people suffering with anorexia severely restrict the intake of food.

Furthermore, they limit calorie intake by vomiting after eating or abusing laxatives, diet aids, diuretics, or enemas. Irrespective of how perfect their body is, they will always have a fear of weight gain. Anorexia isn't really about food it is also about the mindset as well. It's a really unhealthy problem, and it can occasionally become a life-threatening manner of dealing with emotional issues. Anorexics may mistakenly associate thinness with self-worth.

Anorexia and other eating disorders become a part of your life and are tough to overcome. Treatment, on the other hand, can help you eat better and live a healthy lifestyle. Eating disorders impact at least 9% of the global population, with anorexia affecting 1% to 2%. A total of 0.3 percent of teenagers are affected.

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In 1689, Richard Morton, the English physician described two cases of “nervous consumption”, now referred to as anorexia nervosa. In 1873, Sir William Gull, coined the term “anorexia nervosa”. The history of anorexia nervosa begins with religious fasting dating back from the Hellenistic era and continuing to the medieval period. In 1873, Sir William Gull, published a paper which established the term anorexia nervosa and provided a list of detailed case descriptions and treatments.

The awareness about this condition was limited to only medical profession until the 20th century, when German-American psychoanalyst Hilde Bruch published her popular work The Golden Cage: the Enigma of Anorexia Nervosa in 1978, this book created a wider among the readers. Then the death of the popular singer Karen Carpenter in 1983, due to eating disorders, created a wide media coverage.

Anxiety, a history of teasing, especially about weight or body shape, when there is a history of dieting, a society of pressure to fit in with cultural norms, having a historical trauma, and racism, to name a few, all have a role in preventing weight gain or maintaining weight loss.

People suffering from, anorexia nervosa develops a way of gaining control over a phase of their life, and, can have the control over their food intake, they think it’s  will beneficial to them but actually it’s not, as it is destroying their life physically, and the mood swings continues. There are some biological and genetic factors also, like having a close relative that has had a similar disorder, when there is a family history of depression or other mental health issues or when the person is having type 1 diabetes.

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