The Effects Of Eating Disorders Among Adolescents

Childhood experiences are very influential in molding the perspectives regarding body image among individuals. Emotional invalidation coming from ones parents has been shown to be positively correlated with an increased rate of eating disorders among male and female adolescents. Research conducted by Shisslak et al. (1995) showed that among a sample of university students 91% of the women reported attempting to control their weight through a variety of dieting strategies. There are many factors that have been suggested as being responsible for this negative perception of body image, but a major one often researched stems from the relationships within ones own family. Often time’s society is blamed for the development of eating disorders†¦show more content†¦2007). Largely, emotional invalidation can be understood as a process by which an individual suffers emotional and physical manipulation and neglect to the point where they perceive their thoughts and actions to be of little to no importance (Allen et al. 2013). A research paper conducted by Walker et al. in 2007 illustrated two perceptions commonly found among individuals who had experienced severe emotional abuse; 1) being that there is very little acceptability in expressing ones own emotions, and doing so will lead to negative consequences and 2) enlisting a strong negative view in regards to one’s sense of self. Many studies describe eating disorders as a means of coping with these invalidating feelings resulting from emotional abuse (Hughes-Scalise Connell, 2014). Three Eating Disorders that will be discussed throughout the rest of this review will include, Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa and Binge Eating Disorder. The DSM_IV_TR describes the conditions under which these three eating disorders are characterized. Anorexia Nervosa is a very serious illness with severe implications in regards to health. It is classified by the DSM-IV-TR as weighing less than the third percentile for body mass index for ones age and sex, fearing weight gain, having a disturbed perception of body image and on hormonal contraception or the absence of menstruation (American Psychiatric Association, 2000). Bulimia Nervosa is a second eating disorder described by the