Etiology: Sociocultural Level Of Analysis

De’Ja commons
Pgs. 176-179
Etiology: Sociocultural level of analysis
Lee et al. suggest that a social fat phobia may underlie anorexia, and this phobia is starting to thrive in other parts of the world
Places where anorexia has increased a lot it is due to media influence and large amounts of info about dieting and eating disorders
Girls who become anorexic are more likely to accept the messages about beauty and thinness in the media. It isn’t clear whether this acceptance lead to the anorexia or if anorexia caused the acceptance of the media
Lee et al also hypothesized that the increase in anorexia in other countries could be a result of increased use of Western diagnostic systems that increase behaviors.
Body weight is NOT indicative
Treatments for anorexia nervosa
Biomedical therapy: SSRIs are commonly used to treat anorexia, but there isn’t much evidence to indicate that it is very effective.
Kaye et al did a double blind study which showed that patients who were given a placebo over a one-year period were more likely to drop out, indicating that there is some benefit from the drugs.
However, it seems that the medications targets symptoms of anorexia that are not causing the disorder and contrasts with the idea that negative mood or depression play a causal role in development of anorexia
Instead of focusing on medication, the biomedical approach ensures that weight gains happen in the first instance, which can mean attaching the patient to a drip (IV). Which after, the patients will be encouraged to eat normally again within their individual
which is also a reason why family therapy is sometimes offered
Family therapy bridges the gap between individual and group therapy. The family is trained to give support to the sufferer. Sometimes, the whole family benefits from therapy to change their communication styles.
Models of causation assume that interactions are contributing factors to the development of the disorder, and learning more effective ways to communicate is beneficial for many family members not just for the person with anorexia.
Harris and Kuba noted that there are more individuals with eating problems than are being diagnosed, and that treatment for minority groups require special attention. They recommend that therapy involve not just the individual patient and therapist, but family, community, and other practitioners of more cultural relevance.
Group Therapy
Group therapies are very common for anorexia patients – both as inpatients (receiving treatment) and outpatients to help prevent