Anorexia Nervos Friend Or Foe?

Eating disorders, such as Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa, are serious psychiatric conditions that require intervention and treatment. The plethora of negative conditions as a direct result of these eating disorders is well documented in the medical and psychological fields. Interventions and treatment modalities have been developed to address these negative conditions, such as malnourishment, however little attention seems to have been given to the positive attributes or the re-enforcers that perpetuate the disorder. Serpell, et al (1999) Serpell, et al (2002) broached the subject of positive attributes of eating disorders with their articles, “Anorexia Nervosa: Friend or Foe?” and “Bulimia Nervosa: Friend or Foe? The Pros and Cons of Bulimia”. The articles certainly provided a different perspective and approach to anorexia and bulimia and, as we discussed …show more content…
Serpell et al without a doubt has the potential to change how the medical and psychological fields approach and treat the eating disorders. Their studies raised the awareness that during the course of treatment the approach should not be solely based on the negative consequences or aspects of the disorder, but rather to delve into what behaviors or processes may be perceived as a positive attribute thus perpetuating the disorder. One of the doctors in the PBS video mentioned that serotonin levels are abnormally high in patients with eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia and discussed the role of CCK in binge eating disorder. Given this knowledge, I could see the potential for pharmaceutical companies to market drugs that would lower serotonin levels for patients with anorexia or bulimia and ways to affect the CCK chemical mechanism in the brain to address binge eating issues or