Diagnosis and Treatment of Anorexia Nervosa Among Teenagers Aged 15-19 - Paper Example

Paper Type:  Research proposal
Pages:  7
Wordcount:  1688 Words
Date:  2021-06-17
Categories: 

Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder that affects many teenagers in the contemporary society. The two questions that this research proposal seeks to answer are:

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Which alternatives can be applied for the diagnosis and treatment of anorexia nervosa among teenagers aged 15-19?

Can running rehabilitate Anorexia nervosa patients aged 15-19?

2.0 Background and Rationale

In the contemporary society, many teenagers are gradually getting to believe the fallacy that the real beauty lies in their weight. Many are slipping into suspicious weight-loss activities and distorted ideas about their body image. In the process, cases of anorexia nervosa are on the rise. Anorexia nervosa is basically an eating disorder characterized by a body weight that is abnormally low, a distorted body image and the intense anxiety about weight gain (Bowden, 2013). Due to their nervousness and anxiety about eating, a person suffering from this disorder deliberately cuts down on their food and beverage intake as they strongly desire to become thin even when they are already thin. According to Lock and Gowers (2005), teenagers suffering from anorexia nervosa live in denial of the fact that they are already underweight and many of them engage in unusual behavior such as eating very little food, excessive exercising, using laxatives and forcing themselves to vomit. Research shows that some complications that are associated with anorexia nervosa include cardiovascular complications, infertility, failure to have menses and osteoporosis. Although the cause of anorexia nervosa is unknown, the disorder is attributed to genetics, personal and cultural factors (Bowden, 2013). People who have relatives that have previously suffered from anorexia nervosa are at the risk of genetic predisposition to the disorder. When a person becomes increasingly conscious of their weight, probably due to peer and social pressure, they develop an apprehension towards food and beverage. The pressure to shape up becomes so much that they end up slipping into anorexia nervosa. In some cultural settings and activities such as dancing, athletics, and modeling, body appearance is given a priority hence making those involved struggle to shape up; or else they are asked to ship out.

Surprisingly, teenagers are the ones mostly affected by anorexia nervosa. Although statistical information on the prevalence of the disorder in developing countries is not clear, research shows that an estimated 2 million people suffered from anorexia nervosa globally in 2013, and in Western countries, there is an estimated predisposition of 4.3% among teenage girls and young women, and 0.3% for teenage boys and young men while the predisposition for teenagers, in general, is 17% (Botha, 2015). What is clear from the research is that teenagers, especially girls, are more likely to suffer from anorexia nervosa and die from complications related to the disorder. The common interventions include family therapy, behavior modification and nutritional rehabilitation (Bakker et al., 2011). However, these therapies do not seem to have helped matters; hence creating the need to come up with alternative and workable interventions that will see a significant reduction, if not elimination, of the prevalence and deaths related to anorexia nervosa.

Benefits of Running to Anorexic Teenagers

Research shows that it is possible for running to produce positive outcome for teenagers suffering from anorexia nervosa. Botha (2015) affirms that running for fun, rather than for money is very helpful for those suffering from anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. However, the researcher warns that running for health does not mean less food and more miles. An anorexic Olympic athlete, for example, may end up having their career cut short if they run more and eat less in an effort to gain a competitive edge in the races. The road to recovery may take up to two years. However, if they train reasonably and live a healthy life by consuming all the carbohydrates, fats, proteins and fluids they need, the outcome will be great. Healthy running improves ones health by raising good cholesterol levels, boosting lung functioning and immune system thus preventing diseases and blood clots (Botha, 2015). Additionally, research shows that running also releases stress, boosts confidence and helps in consistently maintaining the desired body weight in a healthy way (Conti, 2016). Teenagers suffering from anorexia nervosa will, therefore, reap all the benefits of running as they recover from the disorder. A well-nourished and hydrated runner will run for fun and health reasons, and avoid punishing their body by depriving it of the food and beverage it requires. It is expected that they will also refrain from excessive exercising and have a better outlook of themselves. The information collected from this research will, therefore, be of invaluable benefit to the teenagers suffering from the disorder, and their loved ones. Besides, psychologists, counselors, psychotherapists and the health practitioners in the field, who will be expected to oversee the dissemination of the therapy, will reap highly from the information gathered in this study.

3.0 Literature review

According to the available research, anorexia nervosa is among the psychological disorders that register high mortality rates. According to a survey conducted by Botha, (2015), the number of anorexia nervosa-related deaths rose from 400 in 1990 to 600 in 2013. The survey indicated that most of the deaths were a result of the refusal to eat so as to maintain a lean body shape (4%), excessive exercising (2%) and suicide (5%). The researchers recommended a more elaborate and personalized therapy for helping those suffering from anorexia nervosa since the current ones may not work for every patient. Another survey conducted by Conti (2016) explored the prevalence of anorexia nervosa and the effectiveness of the available therapies. According to the study, of all the diagnosed cases in 2015, females aged 12-25 accounted for 90%. The main reasons for the prevalence included anxiety, self-criticism, low self-esteem, introvertism, resistance to change, a perfectionistic perception, and the desire to look like the peers (Conti, 2016). In most cases, the victims focused on rejecting food as a means of controlling weight. These reasons were echoed by Bowden (2013) in their research which indicated that young female adults and teenagers either reduced their food intake to the bare minimum or refused to eat and forced themselves to vomit so as to reduce weight. This resulted in complications such as dehydration and failure to have the menstrual periods: issues that required swift nutritional therapy to prevent fatalities. This evidence shows a worrying trend of young people who want to maintain an ideal body shape irrespective of the consequences.

Research has also been carried out to determine the efficiency of diagnosis and treatment of the two subtypes of anorexia nervosa: the restrictive subtype that is characterized by the intake of very low-calorie diets, and the binge-purge subtype characterized by excessive exercising, abuse of laxatives and forced vomiting. One such study conducted by Suematsu (1997) identified four criteria for diagnosing anorexia nervosa. Although practitioners use a variety of criteria to diagnose the disorder, Suematsu (1997) restricted their criteria to missed menses for three consecutive months, the intense apprehension associated with weight gain, slow heart rate, and rapid weight loss. The main aim of the study was to identify the salient features of anorexia nervosa, examine the effectiveness of diagnosis and analyze the treatment options. Nutritional Rehabilitation is the main treatment therapy given to people suffering from anorexia nervosa, but it does not work efficiently for all (Itulua-Abumere, 2013). The findings of this study were echoed by Izydorczyk (2015) who carried out a survey to determine the most common characteristic features of anorexia nervosa, diagnosis and the distinction between anorexia and other psychological conditions such as general apprehension and prevalent circumstances such as famine and poverty. The study revealed that the most salient features that practitioners relied on included the fear to gain weight, forced vomiting after eating, blatant rejection of food and unexplained missed menses. The researchers suggested that due to the overlapping of some features of anorexia nervosa and those of other conditions, close family members and clinical, behavioral observers can give a better account of the patient's history that can help in efficient diagnosis. The scholars recommended early treatment of the condition so as to prevent the development of complications.

It is important to note that the recommendations suggested by scholars in this field mainly focus on clinical approaches to the diagnosis and treatment of anorexia nervosa. None has ventured into preventive care or alternative forms of therapy. Therefore the main aim of this project will be to explore the possibility of providing an alternative diagnosis and treatment therapy and examine the probability of a preventive approach. By exploring whether competitive running can rehabilitate teenagers suffering from anorexia nervosa, the project will add to the existing knowledge on diagnosis and treatment of the disorder as well as provide a platform for the possibility of applying proactive therapy.

4.0 Methodology

This research will adopt qualitative research methodology. The participants will include both male and female adolescents suffering from anorexia nervosa, psychotherapists and health care professionals who deal with anorexia nervosa cases. They will be recruited from both physical facilities that deal with the disorder and online platforms. After being informed about the purpose of the project and consenting to take part, all the participants will be subjected to preliminary oral interviews and an online survey with open-ended questions regarding the alternatives they would prefer for the diagnosis and treatment of anorexia nervosa. The rationale for this will be to collect as much data as possible on the alternatives to the already existent diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to anorexia nervosa. The participants will be prompted to provide their basic demographic information after which they will comment on the prompt: which alternatives can be applied in the diagnosis and treatment of anorexia nervosa?

The following table will be provided for the responses to the above prompt.

Diagnosis Treatment

After gathering the data, all responses will be coded in line with coding procedures proposed by Vangelisti, Crumley, and Baker (1999) cited in Camic, Rhodes, and Yardley (2003). The information will then be grouped into preliminary thematic categories which will be derived using Bulmers (1979) analytic induction (Camic, Rhodes, and Yardley, 2003). Based on this initial list of thematic categories, a further 25% of the data will be reviewed so as to allow for the expansion, redefining or collapsing of the thematic categories. The final list of thematic categories will then be determined. The rationale for having thematic categories is to e...

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Diagnosis and Treatment of Anorexia Nervosa Among Teenagers Aged 15-19 - Paper Example. (2021, Jun 17). Retrieved from https://midtermguru.com/essays/diagnosis-and-treatment-of-anorexia-nervosa-among-teenagers-aged-15-19-paper-example

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