Myths About Anorexia

Myths About AnorexiaAnorexia is a rather hard thing to write an argumentative essay on because there isn't much in the way of 'standard' arguments for the condition. You are left to make assumptions based on a few scattered facts. Here is a short introduction to the 'myths' surrounding anorexia.The first myth is that anorexia is simply a result of being socially awkward or afraid of rejection. It's true that some anorexics can be socially awkward or overly shy, but even if they were that would not mean that being anxious about rejection leads to anorexia. Nor would being socially awkward cause someone to engage in anorexia. The stress of being socially awkward doesn't lead to anorexia unless anorexia is defined as an attention seeking disorder.The second myth is that anorexia is a response to feeling uncomfortable with their body. Even if anorexia were merely a result of the socialization of being a shy person, the idea that being socially awkward causes anorexia would be false. Furt her, the idea that being socially awkward is a cause of anorexia is just as false.The third myth is that anorexia is caused by extreme fear of gaining weight. The problem here is that anorexia is neither a weight related disorder nor does it cause an individual to feel uncomfortable with their body. Further, even if anorexia were a reaction to excessive fear of gaining weight, it would not be a mental disorder.The fourth myth is that it is unhealthy to eat too little. It's true that the effects of anorexia are mainly mental. The definition of 'overweight' is simply a deviation from a normal body weight. In other words, even if an individual were 'overweight', that is a problem only when eating excessivelyand/or eating too little.The fifth myth is that anorexia is a disorder of binge eating. While binge eating does occur in some cases of anorexia, the term 'binge eating' doesn't properly define it. In the medical field the term 'binge eating' refers to an impulse for a small portion of food without taking the time to process the decision. This is different from the problem of disordered eating that results from anorexia, which involves an eating disorder and overeating in combination.The sixth myth is that anorexia is a psychological disorder. This is false. As mentioned above, there is no such thing as being 'too shy'too nervous' to engage in anorexia. It's also untrue that anorexia is related to anxiety. While a person suffering from anorexia may feel a little bit of anxiety when faced with the need to use the bathroom, that is very different than feeling anxiety over being anorexic.The seventh myth is that anorexia is a physical illness. Again, while there is a correlation between anorexia and certain physical diseases, the fact that anorexia doesn't have any known physical causes means that the idea that anorexia is a disease is false. In fact, if you examine the medical literature on anorexia, it's impossible to find any cause other than the lack of a prop er interpretation of psychological stimuli in an individual's environment.