Anoreixa Nervosa and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder :: Essays on Disorders

I. Introduction Eating disorders, such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder, have been hypothesized to have a relationship with obsessive-compulsive disorder. However, there remains a great amount of evidence in favor that anorexia nervosa and obsessive-compulsive disorder share more similarities than bulimia nervosa or binge eating disorder. The implications of integrating eating disorders with obsessive-compulsive disorder to create a "family" of disorders called obsessive compulsive spectrum disorder will be discussed. There remain some differences between eating disorders and obsessive compulsive disorders which further explore the correlation. Furthermore, review papers and primary research papers support that a correlation exists between eating disorders and obsessive compulsive disorders, and the research acknowledges the differences between the two disorders. However, two primary research papers do not believe that there exists a correlation between the two disorde rs. In all, the implications of the relationship between the two diseases, the treatment of the two diseases, and suggestions for further and diverse research will be explored II. The DSM-IV Definition of Anorexia Nervosa: The DSM-IV definition of anorexia nervosa has four conditions. The definition states: "I) Refusal to maintain body weight for age and height; 2) intense fear of gaining weight or becoming fat, even though underweight; 3) disturbance in the way in one's body weight, size, or shape is experienced, undue influence of body weight or shape on self-evaluation, or denial of the seriousness of the current low body weight; and 4) in females, ammenorrhea" (1). There remain two kinds of an nervosa as well the restricting ": "the person has not regularly engaged in binge-eating or purging behavior-" and the binge-eating/purging type.- "in which the person has regularly engaged in these behaviors" (1). Anorexia nervosa usually occurs during adolescence and in females. This definition becomes important in understanding the relationship between anorexia nervosa and obsessivecompulsive disorder. III. The DSM-IV Definition of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders. The DSM-IV definition of obsessive-compulsive disorder states: "an anxiety disorder, where it is defined as obsessions and/or compulsions that cause marked distress, are time-consuming, or interfere with functioning. Obsessions are defined as recurrent and persistent thoughts, impulses or images that are experienced as invasiive and ego-dystonic and that cause anxiety or distress. Compulsions are defined as ritualistic behaviors or mental acts that the person feels driven to perform in response to an obsession or according to rules that must be rigidly applied. The behavior or mental act is aimed at preventing or reducing distress or preventing some dreaded event or situation and is recognized as excessive or unreasonable" (1).

Comparison of the Chinese and American Cultures Essay

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, culture is defined as â€Å"the integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief and behavior that depends upon the capacity for learning and transmitting knowledge to succeeding generations.† Culture is an aspect all groups of humans have and even though it is an aspect our species shares, the supposed differences make it seem like we are of different species! Culture is something that both connects and separates us. Culture is something distinct enough to create barriers among us, such as: linguistic barriers and behavioral barriers. And this is especially seen between the American and Chinese cultures. River Town, by Peter Hessler, is a non-fiction novel that depicts Peter’s experiences as a Peace Corps volunteer in Fuling, China. He was sent to Fuling (a poor town on the banks of the Yangtze River) in 1996 and taught English and American literature for two years at a teachers college. This novel, in reading, seems more of a journal and thus, his writing of China puts the people and his experiences on a more personal level. He describes, with immense detail, his observations of the social, political and cultural issues of China and his experience as a waiguoren (foreigner). At his arrival, the people of the teachers college showered him and his fellow Peace Corps volunteer with many gifts and did everything they could to make them feel comfortable and welcome. However, alternately, whenever Peter would walk outside the campus of the school, the people would stare and gawk at him and yell, â€Å"outsider!† and â€Å"hello† out of curiosity and their own amusemen t. This made him dedicate a large part of his day solely to learning Chinese. As he becomes more proficient in Chinese, he develops friendships and connections and begins to feel more accepted. He talks about the troubled history of China: the struggles of land reform, decades of misguided economic policies and especially the damaging effects of the Cultural Revolution. Peter spends a good deal discussing the, then, upcoming  project of the Three Gorges Dam, which has an immense, detrimental impact on the people. The project will require millions of villagers to be displaced and will destroy centuries worth of meaningful history. The author gives a very vivid illustration of the beautiful landscape, history and the people he meets. He also portrays the, especially political, perspectives of the Chinese quite well through learning from his students and teachers. According to Francis Hsu, the two sets of contrasts are: individual-centered versus situation-centered and the prominence of emotions versus the underplay of all matters regarding the heart. He believed Americans are concerned only of themselves and act according to what would be beneficial to them, and that the Chinese acted according to the situation at hand. The Chinese avoid direct confrontation, open criticism and controversial topics to maintain harmony. â€Å"In America, he saw the blind, often excessive pursuit of self-reliance and the inherent, permanent instability of human relationships as the root cause of many intractable social ills, including crime, racial discord, and the sale of influence in government. In China, he saw the traditional narrow focus on kinship based relationships had rendered their society unable to effectively counter Western colonialism, widespread poverty and famine, and even the practice of foot binding of women.† (Tong 2001) One aspect of the book that really interested me was the education system and different cultural differences of how education is looked upon. In the book, the students all had the same thoughts on almost every issue and those opinions would be unwavering. However, â€Å"Perhaps by my standards they were politically brainwashed, but compared to the past they were remarkably free.† (Hessler 2001:23) They would also communicate indirectly to Hessler; often times via their journals. Not only is the learning environment in China highly competitive and demanding, but expectations are high of students, forcing them to simply learn to achieve the highest grade possible. Also, Chinese students do not have electives they can choose from, they are assigned classes that best correspond to their scores on tests. Whereas in America, individualism and self-expression if looked high upon. Thus, in America, the individual student’s abilities and skills determine  where they go in the future, and in China, what society or their parents want determines where they go. This is exactly what Francis Hsu talked about. I believe Peter Hessler was relatively objective in his journaling. Whenever he brought up thoughts or opinions of his students or any of the Fuling people, he briefly gave the history and background of them so we can understand where they are coming from. However, there were a few times where you could sense his extreme bias, but this was never fully evident in his writing. The difference between American and Chinese homes reflects the contrasting patterns of behavior in the family. In the US, children are highly regarded, cared for and have privilege, so far as to have laws and regulations protecting them. In China, children are taken for granted and have little to no reason to expect protection. Pediatrics was not a branch of medicine in China until just recently. In America, what is important is what parents should do for their parents; in China, what is important is what the children should do for their parents. This is a major reason why Chinese students are so focused on getting the best grades, so they can get a good job and take care of their elders. This is the basis for Filial Piety (virtue of respect for one’s parents and ancestors). American students focus on what is best for them and will usually move out the house at age 18 with no regard to taking care of their elders. Another difference between the two cultures is social relations hips. The Chinese have formal, hierarchal relationships in which they feel most comfortable knowing their position. Americans have informal, egalitarian relationships in which they feel most comfortable among their equals and social ranking is not important. Ironically however, the Chinese tend to have a few, very close friends to whom they feel obligated to when it comes to helping them; Americans tend to have numerous â€Å"friends† and acquaintances that changes over time and to whom they feel no obligations. Works Cited 2001 River Town: Two years on the Yangtze. HarperCollins Publishers. Aguilar, Leslie, and Linda Stokes 1996. Multicultural Customer Service: Providing Outstanding Service Across Cultures. Chicago: Times Mirror Higher Education Group, Inc â€Å"CultureAbout Our Definitions: All Forms of a Word (noun, Verb, Etc.) Are Now Displayed on One Page.† Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2013 Li Qing 1995. â€Å"Face, Guanxi, Houmen(r) & Elastic Rules: Insight into the Chinese Culture.† Presentation at conference of NAFSA: Association of International Educators. Tong, William K. â€Å"Excerpts from Americans & Chinese by Francis Hsu.† Excerpts from Americans & Chinese by Francis Hsu. Oakton Community College, 2001. Web. 22 Apr. 2013

Overweight and Obesity in Australia - 842 Words

Australian’s should put more effort into stopping declining fitness levels and it should start with our youth. The youth of this generation is lacking a healthy amount of physical activity; growing evidence shows that the occurrence of overweight and obesity is dramatically increasing in Australian children and adolescents. If more Australians increased the amount of physical activity they did, and also decided to eat healthier then declining fitness levels would reduce. Australians would benefit from this as a healthier lifestyle can make you feel good, it can improve your health even reducing the risk of some diseases, it can even be fun! For some, pursuing a lifestyle that consists of fitness and healthy eating can be too time consuming and difficult. In some cases this lifestyle of healthier eating and excessive fitness can be too expensive, therefore fast-food and little physical activity is the better option for some. There are many benefits of being active, it is good for you and it is a good way to socialise with others, regular physical activity can help prevent heart disease, stroke, and high blood pressure and reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and some cancers and it can help to avoid injuries. Research suggests that those who eat a wide variety of nutritious foods enjoy living a longer life. .Other benefits of healthy eating include: †¢ Maintaining a healthy weight. †¢ Reduces risk of developing heart disease, diabetes and certain types ofShow MoreRelatedThe Reason Of Obesity And Obesity998 Words   |  4 PagesObesity Introduction: In these days, rates of overweight and obesity are growth faster in Australia. Fourteen million Australians are overweight or obese. More than five million Australians are obese. Australian adults (63%) are overweight or obese, almost 2 in 3. And children (25%) are overweight or obese. 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