It is just "in your head," but not how you might think

People used to get angry at me a lot for being anorexic. Their reasoning was that I was just not trying hard enough to recover. Assuming that anorexia is a choice, or that it can be dropped at will, is a major misconception that is precipitated by society. I believe that although societal pressures on women may play a role in aggravating a predisposition for the disorder, I am certain that anorexia is in fact a result of neurological abnormalities. A few researchers like Dr. Walter Kaye of UC San Diego have proven that the way in which anorexics process information is different than that of "normal" people. According to Dr. Kaye, some people, primarily women, are predisposed towards developing anorexia. During puberty hormonal changes in the body, combined with environmental pressures, can vault that predisposition into a full-blown eating disorder. Dr. Kaye's research has shown that for patients with anorexia, not eating actually improves mood-- the opposite of eating's effect on most people. When a teenage girl predisposed to anorexia starts dieting, she finds that she feels better when she doesn't eat. Thus, she will continue starving not for some body image ideal, as society has told us, but because she just wants to feel better.

What does this all mean? I think it means that the answer lies in research. I will graduate college with a B.S. in Biology this December, and I intend to become as neuroscientist and dedicate my life to researching anorexia. I really think that the more we understand the way in which the brain works in people with anorexia, the better we can treat it. I hope that my commitment to research gives you hope.