On the covers of hundreds of magazines and in every featured post on social media, tips and tricks for living a healthier lifestyle are thrown at the masses. On the Internet, anyone can be a fitness expert if they have an aesthetically pleasing Instagram and a sponsorship with a detoxifying tea brand. But what happens when all this information is absorbed and the effects are less than healthy? Those suffering with Orthorexia Nervosa often feel great discomfort when they lose control over what they eat, sometimes believing that certain foods contain toxins that will lead to disease or digestive complications. This disorder distinguishes itself from others because it has nothing to do with physical appearance; weight loss is not an end goal for
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For many months, Younger seemingly lived the ideal healthy life, amassing a following of over 300,000 with her videos, blog posts, and recipes based around clean eating. Her fans were shocked when she posted in June 2014 that she would be abandoning her vegan lifestyle, as she believed it was the root of her hidden mental health issues. She also announced the release of her book, Breaking Vegan, to give further insight into what Orthorexia Nervosa was – a term that, until now, had not really been discussed. Younger’s story gained traction when it hit the December 2015 issue of Elle, notable fashion blog. Orthorexia Nervosa, as described by Elle, is a distinct eating disorder that “overlaps with obsessive-compulsive disorder” while maintaining unique qualities, “such as a focus on dietary purity and a fear of illness” (Langmuir). Elle, of course, is not a scientific journal by any stretch of the imagination, choosing to focus on the recovery of Younger rather than the specifics of her mental illness. However, now that Orthorexia Nervosa has been presented to the public as a real and distinct illness, more and more studies arise to learn more about this malady …show more content…
Until Orthorexia Nervosa is added to the DSM-V, most people who seek treatment for this disorder are diagnosed with an “eating disorder not otherwise specified.” In Eating Behaviors, Volume 21 (2016), Orthorexia is characterized by a food’s “purity” and that the quality of food is “valued above all else, including deleterious health effects from such a diet” (Dunn). It is pointed out how phenomenal it is that a condition not clinically recognized has garnered such traction in the media. This type of eating disorder is often associated with fitness moguls that dominate the industry through their photogenic social media posts and “superfood” sponsorships, as seen with Jordan Younger. Little literature exists on Orthorexia Nervosa, and what does exist is often published in small South American or Australian journals. However, even though this field has yet to be fully excavated, “convincing case studies and broad anecdotal evidence” are present to pursue further understanding of Orthorexia as a distinct disorder (Dunn). The category provided in the DSM-V that is often assumed to take the place of Orthorexia is Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder, but this does not quite fit. ARFID manifests through a disinterest in eating, often caused
For many months, Younger seemingly lived the ideal healthy life, amassing a following of over 300,000 with her videos, blog posts, and recipes based around clean eating. Her fans were shocked when she posted in June 2014 that she would be abandoning her vegan lifestyle, as she believed it was the root of her hidden mental health issues. She also announced the release of her book, Breaking Vegan, to give further insight into what Orthorexia Nervosa was – a term that, until now, had not really been discussed. Younger’s story gained traction when it hit the December 2015 issue of Elle, notable fashion blog. Orthorexia Nervosa, as described by Elle, is a distinct eating disorder that “overlaps with obsessive-compulsive disorder” while maintaining unique qualities, “such as a focus on dietary purity and a fear of illness” (Langmuir). Elle, of course, is not a scientific journal by any stretch of the imagination, choosing to focus on the recovery of Younger rather than the specifics of her mental illness. However, now that Orthorexia Nervosa has been presented to the public as a real and distinct illness, more and more studies arise to learn more about this malady …show more content…
Until Orthorexia Nervosa is added to the DSM-V, most people who seek treatment for this disorder are diagnosed with an “eating disorder not otherwise specified.” In Eating Behaviors, Volume 21 (2016), Orthorexia is characterized by a food’s “purity” and that the quality of food is “valued above all else, including deleterious health effects from such a diet” (Dunn). It is pointed out how phenomenal it is that a condition not clinically recognized has garnered such traction in the media. This type of eating disorder is often associated with fitness moguls that dominate the industry through their photogenic social media posts and “superfood” sponsorships, as seen with Jordan Younger. Little literature exists on Orthorexia Nervosa, and what does exist is often published in small South American or Australian journals. However, even though this field has yet to be fully excavated, “convincing case studies and broad anecdotal evidence” are present to pursue further understanding of Orthorexia as a distinct disorder (Dunn). The category provided in the DSM-V that is often assumed to take the place of Orthorexia is Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder, but this does not quite fit. ARFID manifests through a disinterest in eating, often caused