Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Orthorexia Nervosa

With each culture there is a development of psychological disorders which are unique to the culture. Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia are known in the western world. There has been a new development which is in consideration for the next edition of the DSM. It could be described as an obsession with health food gone too far. http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200412/orthorexia-too-healthy

Our society is full of dieting books, meal plans, and ads. Is it no wonder that we are creating new eating disorders? No carbs, low carb, vegan, vegetarian, macrobiotic, pescatarian...the list goes on. These are fine if you keep a well-rounded diet. However, we are, also, a society of guilt and we hate guilt. In the end, barrage of do's and do not's leave a person in distress. So, in the end, if we created the disorder...could we destroy it?