Early Childhood Anorexia Nervosa

‘In the western world anorexia is the third most chronic illness in adolescent girls, with a much higher mortality and suicide rate than that of the general population’ (Robarts, 2000, pg.4). Anorexia can be characterised by refusal to maintain a normal body weight along with restriction of energy intake, resulting in substantial weight loss that falls under the normal range for age and size. Additionally, there is a fear that there will be weight gain which may present itself with persistent, obsessive behaviour. Lastly, there is a disturbance in the perception of body form combined with a disregard of low body weight (American Psychiatric Association, 2013; Trondalen, 2013). There are two types of Anorexia: the restricting type, where a person …show more content…
This model found that higher levels of stress and anxiety experienced as a newborn may trigger neurochemical and hormonal changes that can predispose an adolescent to developing anorexia nervosa (Connan et al, 2000). Similarly, Bobilin (2008) suggests that the illness seems to be connected closely with a sense of self that has been disturbed at the separation-individuation phase of early childhood. This appears to occur when a child fails to develop the ability to self-soothe as a result of internalising the anxieties presented by the caregiver rather than feelings of security (Bobilin, 2008). Consequently, the child may strive to elicit the approval of the caregiver in order to maintain a sense of wellbeing, which may result in a lack of autonomy and individuation (Ibid). Additionally, Hilliard (2001) proposes that anorexia is a symptom of underlying family issues, suggesting that self-starvation can be used as a defence when there are disturbances in the family …show more content…
398). For adolescents, music is influential to the development of identity. It acts as a channel for peer interaction, social acceptance and connectedness while also providing a coping strategy for a population of people who are forming their sense of self and finding their place in the world (Ibid). The use of music ‘provides a powerful platform for adolescents to express and share parts of their identity, communicate their feelings, as well as discover hope and guidance’ (Punch, 2013, pg.1). Evidence has shown that adolescents prefer counselling and active treatments over medication, which opens up a place for music therapy in treatment of adolescents with a mental illness (Maratos et al, 2008). Music therapy can act as a vehicle ‘to help build a therapeutic relationship and help the patient express feelings, without words, safely’ (AMTAA, 2013, pg. 1). It can allow the adolescent to focus on coping with, rather than curing their mental illness and learn positive strategies that allow them to see the world as manageable (AMTAA,