Anorexia Nervosa History
The history of Anorexia Nervosa goes back a long way but the information known about the disease has not been known until scientific study began on it. Anorexia Nervosa was first described in 1684 but was not identified with a diagnosis until 1870. It was considered a ‘new’ disease and would effect young women and how they should look according to society. In order to ‘fit in’ to the social world, women believed they had to be slim or even skinny to belong. The western world has caused more people to become anorexic because of their need to lose weight and stay thin. Many people who have been diagnosed with anorexia feel that they can not succeed in life unless they are thin. At some point in the diet, the anorexia takes over and controls the body instead of the person controlling their own body. Anorexia messes with the mind and when an anorexic victim looks into a mirror, they see themselves as fat, no matter how thin they are. They feel the need to keep losing weight long after they have reached their original goal.
Although the disease has been known for a long time, there was not much scientific studies done on the problem until in the 1970's. In the 70's the American media began to write about anorexia. There were only stories about young girls who refused to eat and no further details were given. It was not known what the signs or symptoms of anorexia was. Most of the population did not realize just how dangerous anorexia really was. In fact, in 1984 the American te show “Saturday Night Live” , the host was joking about what an anorexia cookbook would look like. Anorexia has since been taken very seriously and people are beginning to see just how deadly it can be. Karen Carpenter, a popular singer in the 70's and 80's died of anorexia in 1983. Her death woke up a lot of people and since then more studies and information has been published about the disease. It is sad that it takes so many deaths and severe health issues to get the public’s attention but that is the way it is.
Hilde Bruch, a psychologist wrote a book called “The Golden Cage” in 1978. The book was about anorexia and included experiences of three decades of clinical research and also 70 real anorexic cases. Up until this time there was not much information printed about anorexia. People were not aware of the disease and knew nothing about it so they could not see the signs if they were right in front of them.
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