Body Image Disturbance in Anorexia Nervosa

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Body Image Disturbance in Anorexia Nervosa

• By Meghan Montgomery

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Main Topics Covered

• Factors that contribute to body image disturbance
• Techniques to treat body image disorders

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Introduction

• Thin Cycle Negative body image, harsh
  self-criticism. While mirrors may not lie,
  women's perceptions of their bodies can fluctuate
  dramatically. Whether the source of these
  distortions is the result of cultural pressures
  put on women to be thin or possible medical or
  psychological conditions, experts agree something
  is skewing--even distorting--many women's sense
  of reality.

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Body Image DisturbanceDefined

• Central concept in eating disorder pathology
• Includes cognitive, behavioral, affective, and
  perceptual components

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Quiz

• How Do You Shape Up?
• TRUE/FALSE1. I rarely talk negatively about my
  body.2. I do not weigh myself more than once a
  week.3. If appearance did not matter in our
  society, I would still exercise the same amount
  that I do now.4. I rarely compare my looks or
  body to others.5. I rarely feel guilty or
  anxious after eating high fat food.6. I can
  accept a compliment about my appearance.7. If I
  had to do things that were unhealthy (fasting,
  taking laxatives, throwing up) in order to change
  my weight, I would choose NOT to do them.8. I
  feel happy or content, for the most part, with my
  life at this time.9. I wouldn't panic if I
  gained a few pounds.10. For the most part, I am
  satisfied with my current body shape and size.

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Warning Signs

• No matter how much weight you lose, you still
  view your body as unacceptable or too big. Do
  people describe your size in a significantly
  different way than you do? You have difficulty
  accepting compliments about how good you look or
  how thin you are. You feel large/fatter on
  days when you are upset, and smaller/thinner on
  days when you feel good. You feel
  significantly heavier or thinner from day to day,
  although realistically you know your body
  couldn't have changed drastically overnight.
  After feeling fine emotionally and physically
  during part of a day, something goes wrong and
  you react by suddenly feeling fat and or
  unattractive.

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How would one fall prey to body image disturbance?

• Teasing about appearance
• Biological status
• Early Maturation
• Media pressures and unrealistic expectations
• Personality Traits

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Media Pressures

• Eating disorders glorified? How?
• 39 female university students
• 24 magazine advertisements comprised 12
  body-related 12 non-body-related products (½
  w/, ½ w/o idealized images)
• Pre exposure post exposure body shame
  appearance anxieties
• Results Exposure to idealized images lead to
  increased body shame and appearance anxiety
• Exposure to media-portrayed idealized images
  focuses attention on the body, and encourages
  scrutiny of the acceptability of its shape and
  size.

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What about from the scientific perspective?

• Objective Women with AN have an inappropriately
  fatter body image in the left cerebral hemisphere
  (LH) than in the right cerebral hemisphere
• Method Conducted a divided visual field
  experiment. Women with AN and control group were
  shown distorted and undistorted pictures of
  themselves and Jamie Lee Curtis in the left and
  right visual fields-they judged the pictures as
  thinner than, equal to, or fatter than actual
  body size

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Brain Lateralization Paradigm Helpful in
Understanding Body Image Disturbance in AN?

• Results Obviously, AN participants had fatter
  perceptions of themselves and they responded
  quicker with LH than RH. However, fewer thinner
  distortions were judged as equal to their own
  body size and slower with LH than RH. Controls
  showed no hemispheric differences with themselves
  as AN participants showed none with Jamie Lee
  Curtis. Findings were accurate of those who had
  AN in the past rather than current.
• Summary AN patients had a quicker distorted
  image with left side than right side!

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Here is where my passion comes in

• Rather than having to put all of your efforts
  into treatment, why not try prevention and
  promoting positive mental health awareness
• How can we do this? Try to balance what society
  throws at us!

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Implications of Themes in Health Promotion

• 1. Strategies to alert individuals about body
  image and appropriate eating behavior
• ie) Media campaigns and distribution of written
  materials
• 2. Professional education
• 3. Research
• 4. Advocate change in fashion, advertising, and
  media industry

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Limits of Treatments

• Many do not workresearch being done
• Ex) European Eating Disorder Review, 8, 19-30.
  (2000) Body Awareness Therapy in Teenage Anorexia
  Nervosa Outcome after two Years.
• BAT-education of body and functions, massage,
  exercise dealing with coordination of body
  movements, and relaxation exercises
• No difference between this and basic family
  therapy
• My conclusion We need a dramatic change
  throughout society!

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One Philosophy The Three As

• Attention Listening for and responding to
  internal cues (ex. Hunger, satiety, and fatigue)
• Appreciation Appreciating the pleasures your
  body can provide
• Acceptance Accept what is-rather than longing
  for what is not

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Limitations

• Many studies stated the obvious
• Not too much new information
• Very general studies pointing to the same things
  (not too much specifics)
• Caused me to want to research differences in
  cultures and implications of eating disorders
  (race, socioeconomic status)

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Summary

• Body Image Disturbance is caused by various
  factors such as teasing, media, maturation,
  personality traits, and possibly some new
  scientific studies
• Treatments are limited at this point but with
  further scientific evidence the problem may be
  narrowed down further

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References

• Monro, F., Huon, G. (2005). Media-Portrayed
  Idealized Images, Body Shame, Appearance
  Anxiety. Int J Eat Disord 3885-90.
• Moulding, N. Hepworth, J. (2001). Understanding
  Body Image Disturbance in the Promotion of Mental
  Health A Discourse Analytic Study. Journey of
  Community and Applied Social Psychology
  11305-317.
• Smeets, M.A. Kosslyn, S.M. (2001). Hemispheric
  Differences In Body Image In Anorexia Nervosa.
• Thompson, J.K., Coovert M.D., Stormer S.M.
  (1998).
• Sheffield, J.K., Tse, K.H., Sofronoff, K.
  (2005). Comparison of Body-Image Dissatisfaction
  among Australian and Hong Kong Women. Eur. Eat
  Disorders Rev. 13112-124.
• http//www.msnbc.com/onair/nbc/dateline/thincycle/
  thinquiz.asp?cp11
• http//www.edreferral.com/body_image.htmwhat20is
  20body20image