Expert: Leigh-Anne - 3/22/2005

Question
I am doing a research project for English and I am writing an essay on the media and its effects on teenagers.  Any information would be great!Thank you so much for your time!!

It is a research-persuasive paper for English 102.  My thesis is:  The increase in teenage eating disorders is the effect of media intervention.

(I know it may need a little bit more research and thought!)

1.  What type of degree have you received in order to work in the area in which you do?

2.  What other qualifications are helpful in you specific area?

3.  Are eating disorders commonly over-looked and mistaken for other psychological problems or do they develop along with the eating disorder?

4.  Understanding that there are many factors that contribute to an eating disorder, would the media be a possible factor in swaying a person to need control of their weight?

5.  If so, would the media be an initial generator, a concurrent factor, or a final trigger to the expansion of an eating disorder?

6.  The media is idolized and many people become envious of a celebrity's body, but what gives a person developing a disorder the drive to do something as drastic as starvation or purging?

7.  Is a person suffering from an eating disorder concerned solely about themselves or is their concern more for those around them?

8.  Do eating disorders effect more than one person such as their friend or group of friends?

9.  Can a person with an eating disorder be all of the sudden "cured" or is professional help a must in order to demolish it?

10.  Is a person with an eating disorder often conscious that he/she has a problem?



Thank you so much for your time, any input would be helpful!  Please return as fast as you can!  Thanks again!


Answer
1. I am currently going to school to become a Physician Assistant. THis is my 4th year of school.

2. Dietician, sports nutrition, taking nutrition classes.

3. Eating disorders often go hand-in-hand with other psychological problems such as depression and/or obsessive compulsive disorder. It is unknown whether one is the cause of the other or vice versa.

4. The media is definitely an influence on how one perceives the way they should look and therefore how much they should weigh.

5. The media is usually not a trigger by itself, rather there are many factors that play a role in the development of an eating disorder. Media, genetics, past history of abuse, societal standards, etc.

6. That drive is individulaized and I cannot speak for all those individuals. But in general they see that person as being popular and loved. That person is striving for attention from someone else, sometimes they feel out of place and they feel that if they were to become like that celebrity that they would become more noticed and liked. So they will stop at nothing to achieve their goals.

7. Many people with eating disorders are "over-achievers" so to speak and strive to be perfect in every aspect of life, not only their weight. They usually run themselves down trying to get straight A's in school, doing tons of volunteer work, and anything else to keep themselves busy.

8. Eating disorders can impact everyone around the individual who is suffering. As the disease progresses the person tends to isolate themselves from family and friends and not want to participate in usual activities. Sometimes they become very moody and irritable, and that can of course affect everyone around them.

9. Usually a person with an eating disorder will be haunted by it for the rest of their life... maybe not overtly (throught actual disordered eating behaviors) but through memories or physical consequences of their behavior. Most often the person will need a combination of drug therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy to "recover" from their disease. Relapse rates are high even with therapy, and are even higher when that person does not seek therapy.

10. Many times a person with an eating disorder is aware that they have a problem... they may even know how to fix it or what they have to do to get better, but despite numerous attempts at recovery they fail, or they refuse treatment all together even though they know they have a problem. Like I said... they will stop at nothing to reach their goals.

Leigh-Anne Persing, PA-S