Critique on the Article, An Anorexic's Recovery. by Leanna Rutherford Lab Report

Critique on the Article, An Anorexic's Recovery. by Leanna Rutherford - Lab Report Example According to Rutherford, she "was 17 and in her [my] graduating year of high school when she [I] decided that she [I] wanted to lose weight" (n.p.). Studies show that mostly, adolescent young women are affected by this mental illness. And women are more prone than men; although, in some cases men can also be a candidate for this disorder. American Psychiatric Association viewed this as a psychological disorder affecting mainly young women (American Psychiatric Association, 1984) and recent reports suggest a long-term increasing incidence of the problem (Lucas, 1991; Lucas et al., 1991; Willi & Grossman, 1983). The article, "An Anorexic's Recovery" is a timely way of informing people/readers of this lethal psychological disorder through the experience of the writer on this illness. As a narrative article, the point of views of the writer was emphasized on her accounts of battling the mental disorder. The worst part of anorexia is the determination of factors that causes the disorder. Until now, there is no exact cause of anorexia nervosa. However, researchers on the field of medicine and psychology suggested that factors in general could be categorized as follows: Cultural Pressure - Just like in the case of Rutherford, cultural pressure played as the main role why she suffered from anorexia. . Rutherford "wanted to impress the boys in university and she [I] thought being thin would help. So she [I] went on a diet"(n.p.). (eHealthMD, 2005) claimed that "in many societies, being extremely thin is the standard of beauty for women and represents success, happiness, and self-control.(p.3). Cultural pressure seems to be the primary cause of why some suffer from this mental disorder. In the article, this was the only cause stated; however, below you can see that not only cultural pressure is to be blamed but other factors as well. Psychological Issues - People who have low self-esteem, poor body image, rigid thinking patterns, perfectionism, feelings of ineffectiveness, physical or sexual abuse, and need for control are prone on developing anorexia. Psychological imbalances may be a by-factor of having the disorder. Rutherford's case may seem to imply that she may have suffered from the need of being perfect, although the writer projected that being good in school or things he did imply that he is psychologically stable: "I was an honors student when I entered university and had an 82 percent average after my first semester. I had made lots of friends and had balanced my social and academic obligations". In view points of psychology, anorexia is a mental illness and therefore has a lot to do with psychological issues. Rutherford may have overlooked this issue on his article. Family Environment - Some family upbringings may be factors to the development of anorexia. The families of people who have the disorder are more expected to be rigid, overprotective, and suffocating closeness. In these situations, anorexia nervosa builds up as a way of fighting back for individuality and independence. Genetic Factors - According to (Wade, et.al, 2000) "anorexia shares a genetic risk with clinical depression" (p.157). People who have