A 14 year old female client was hospitalized for Anorexia Nervosa. She was 79 lbs upon admission with a pre-illness weight of 105 lbs. She did not want to be hospitalized and pleaded with parents and staff to let her go home. Her treatment began in the hospital until she was stabilized and reached an appropriate weight stabilization. From there she was treated in the outpatient setting. She attended clinic weekly where she received weekly individual, family and group counseling. She received medical monitoring and weekly nutritional consults.
The overall belief of eating disorders is that they are considered wrong and an illness in need of treatment. “Normative ethical relativism claims that each culture’s (or group’s) beliefs are right within that culture, and that it is impossible to validly judge another culture’s values from the outside” (Hinman, n.d.). From this perspective, an eating disorder may not necessarily be considered wrong by some. In a culture that values thin as ideal beauty such as modeling or dancing, an eating disorder may be considered an acceptable, even encouraged means to this beauty. The girls may see it as a highly desired goal to achieve.
Anorexia nervosa and excessive dieting concerns were overrepresented in the dance and modelling students. Within the dance group those from the most competitive environments had the greatest frequency of anorexia nervosa. These data suggest that both pressures to be slim and achievement expectations are risk factors in the development of anorexia nervosa (Garner & Garfinkle, 1980).
A Libertarian may view anorexia nervosa as a right to treat one’s own body and diet as she sees fit. One might see interference in the form of treatment as paternalistic. A healthcare worker who sees the fatal effects of eating disorders views anorexia nervosa as wrong. Afterall, there is significant scientific evidence that has examined the damaging health effects of eating disorders. Suicide is the second most common cause of death in anorexia nervosa after the complications of the disorder itself (Latzer & Hochdorf, 2005).
A utilitarian can view this as wrong as an eating disorder affects too many. For example, the idolization of a famous model with anorexia nervosa by adolescents may create an epidemic of starving adolescents. They want to be like her, thin and beautiful. This leads to increased healthcare costs.
As ethical relativism addresses varying and sometimes conflicting moral principles around an eating disorder, a feminist will examine anorexia nervosa in context. Instead of addressing it as an issue of right or wrong, she will examine the root causes and effect on the whole and overall effect on women. She will examine the causes such as low self esteem, family dynamics such as control and enmeshment, and socio-cultural influences such as the media. “The influence of socio-cultural determinants are discussed within the context of anorexia nervosa as a multidetermined disorder” (Garner & Garfinkle, 1980).
The feminist will examine the effects of sexual abuse on eating disorders. “The prevalence of childhood sexual abuse is high among individuals seeking inpatient treatment for anorexia nervosa” (Carter, 2003). A feminist will critique the media, larger social system, and power dynamics which perpetuate the eating disorder.
Child Abuse Negl. 30(3):257-69. Retrieved March 22, 2006 from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=16524628&itool=iconabstr&query_hl=14&itool=pubmed_docsum
Garner, D.M. & Garfinkle, P.E. (1980). Socio-cultural factors in the development of
anorexia nervosa. Psychol Med.10(4):647-56. Retrieved March 22, 2006 from:
Hinman, L.M (n.d.). Ethics Updates. Retrieved March 22, 2006 from: http://ethics.acusd.edu/Glossary.html
Latzer, Y. & Hochdorf, Z (2005). Dying to be thin: attachment to death in anorexia
nervosa. ScientificWorldJournal. 5:820-7.
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