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Anorexia Nervosa - Coggle Diagram
Anorexia Nervosa
Symptoms
- weight is maintained at around 15% below average
- fear, overwhelming fear of gaining weight
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- amenorrhoea, 3 consecutive mentsrual cycles missed
Biological Explanations
Serotonin
- When have not eaten in a while, eating can cause increased serotonin which can lead to perpetual anxiety
- Explaining how anorexia is sustained
- reducing calorie intake can lead to a feeling calm or in control
- Barbarich reported that high levels of serotonin were common with anorexia, obsession with food may lead to a dysfunction in the serotonergic system
- Bailer compared serotonin activity in women recovering from anorexia with controls
- Highest levels of serotonin coincided with most anxiety
- SSRI I commonly used to treat however bolt works on recovering anorexics as lack of food inhibits effects
- Low levels of serotonin lead to a sense of depression, low self esteem and serotonin is increased in episodes of binging
Dopamine
- Castro-Fornieles, found that teenage girls with anorexia had higher levels of homovanillic acid than controls and when these levels were regulated their weight became normal
- Kaye et al used PET scans to compare dopamine activity in 10 receiving anorexics to 12 controls
- Found hyperactivity of dopamine receptors of basil ganglia in anorexics
- Could lead to abnormal association of good feelings and food
Strengths
- Can be used to create drugs to treat people with anorexia by regulating neurotransmitters
- Reliable and valid, tests for neurotransmitters can be standardised, can be replicated and consistent results can be obtained
- Kaye found that increased dopamine in basal ganglia interfered with patients pleasure
Weaknesses
- Poor internal validity, do not know if not eating creates a disruption in dopamine levels
- Cannot establish cause and effect
- Brain scans are used to measure levels of neurotransmitters, need to b interpreted and this can lead to bias
- Social learning theory suggests that media industry and environment can lead to anorexia
Features
- 1/100 women aged 15-30 are diagnosed with anorexia
- On average condition develops at ages 16-17
- Between 1%-1.42% of women have suffered from anorexia
Non-biological
Cognitive Explanations
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- Fallon and Rozin showed male and female students a series of body silhouette pictures
- Asked them to select 'current,' 'ideal,' and 'attractive' from the selection
Men= Said that 'current' and 'ideal' are very similar and attractive was smaller
Women= Said 'current' was biggest, 'attractive' was slightly smaller and 'ideal' was dramatically smaller
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Genetic Explanations
EPHXR gene
- encodes proteins involved in detecting taste
- Possible this leads to a dysfunction in taste pathways
ITPR3 gene
- codes for enzymes that regulate cholestorla metabolism
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Types
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Binge eating/purging type
- self induced vomiting, laxatives, diuretics etc
Genetic Explanations
EPHXR2 gene
- Codes for enzymes that regulate cholesterol metabolism
ITPR3 gene
- encodes proteins involved in detecting taste
- possible this leads to a dysfunction of the test pathways
Strengths
- Can help psychologists treat anorexia by adapting parenting techniques