Eating Disorder Patterns Between Ballet

¶ … eating disorder patterns between ballet dancers and non-dancers is well written especially in its presentation and the details of the technical aspects of the study. Having said so, there is a feeling that the article could have gone a little more into the aspect of what anorexia is and the causes of anorexia and the reasons that it is seen so much in ballet dancers as against non-dancers, as well as exploring aspects like the impact of ballet dancing on children with respect to eating disorder patterns, whether any difference is seen in the frequency of eating disorders in professional ballet dancer and non-professional ballet dancers. These aspects are dealt with in detail here to provide a better picture on eating disorder patterns.

Anorexia Nervosa:

Anorexia nervosa is a growing psychological and physiological disorder in the society of today. A surprisingly large number of people are affected by eating disorders, the major cause of which is anorexia nervosa. The cultural ideals especially of the western world cause young women to believe that they should maintain thinner bodies than intended by nature. This causes them to alter their eating patterns and this leads to eating disorders like anorexia nervosa. Anorexia nervosa is most prevalent in young girls from the upper middle classes and generally between the ages of eleven to eighteen. Anorexia nervosa is fatal in about twenty percent of the cases and this is the reason for concern. Psychiatric assistance is able to help about thirty percent of anorexics to overcome the disease. A person is considered as anorexic if the body weight of the individual is twenty percent less than the normal weight of a healthy person of that age and height. The mental aspect of anorexic nervosa is that the eating disorder is caused because the individual has a fear of putting on weight or of becoming obese even though the body weight is below the required level for that height. (the Incidence rate of Anorexia in ballet dancers)

Anorexics demonstrate all the symptoms of malnutrition. The causes of anorexia are many and it starts with the obsession to lose weight and the feeling that the best method to go about this requirement is to starve. This is because the have the false belief that by starving they will force the body to use up the stored energy in the form of fat. They do not realize or seldom accept that the body when starved becomes stingy in its energy requirements. The quest for perfection is another frequent cause for anorexia. A perfectionist looks for flawlessness and if she believes that this is achievable by being thin, the person will diet. The desire to then become perfect in this will lead to the person to extreme lengths in dieting. Another cause of anorexia is the psychological craving for control over their lives. Individuals who believe that they do not control their lives as the various aspects of their lives are under the control of other individuals may develop such a craving. This could lead to anorexia as they could proceed into believing that they only aspect of their life that they can control is their eating habit and put strict restrictions on it. (the Incidence rate of Anorexia in ballet dancers) feeling of incompetence could also lead to anorexia as by going in for strict dietary restrictions the individual believes that competence has been developed at least in that activity. A feeling of dependence can also lead to anorexia. The requirement to rebel may be expressed in going in for strict diet regime. There are several emotional aspects that may lead to anorexia and child abuse is one. Emotional conflicts can also cause anorexia. In older people depression is a cause for anorexia. There are thus several causes for anorexia and yet there is greater incidence in dancers and there are reasons that contribute to this. Among all the pressures that a dancer especially a ballet dancer faces is the pressure to remain lean. This pressure could drive a dancer into becoming an anorexic. A young dancer will observe that the mature dancers on she sees either in magazines, or on screen or on the stage or in life have all managed to maintain thin frames and she will then bring pressure on herself to maintain such a thin frame.

Dance teachers quite frequently add to this pressure to maintain thin frames and pressurize the child to such an extent that the child may go in for a strict dietary regime and become anorexic. Parental pressure is another aspect that a young prospective ballerina faces and this may cause her to become anorexic. Ballet dancers practice for hours together in front of large mirrors. This may lead to comparison on the frame structure of other dancers and the gradual development of a feeling that a thin frame is a mandatory requirement for gracefulness and agility in dancing. This may cause the ballet dancer to adopt dietary patterns that lead her to anorexia. The drive for perfection as a ballet dancer aims to become professional is another cause of the higher incidence of anorexia in dancers. Finally the primary reason for anorexia is best put as a quote. "An ideal has been set in place in the dance community which reflects the general publics desire to see thin women on stage." (the Incidence rate of Anorexia in ballet dancers)

An area of concern that needs to be mentioned here is the possibility that anorexia could lead to menstrual dysfunction. Women in the normal course bear children and have a desire towards this. Development of amenorrhea can have a negative impact on the child bearing capacity of an anorexic. This is because there is a requirement of body fat in women to the extent of seven percent more than men and in the case of an anorexic where this may not be there, the body on realization that it is incapable of supporting another life may not allow the anorexic the capacity to bear a child. (Athletes: AAP outlines medical concerns for female athletes)

Incidence of Eating Disorders in Professional and Non-professional Ballet Dancers:

There are a number of studies that have gone into the enhanced risk eating disorders in professional ballet dancers and have shown that this is because of the pressures that come upon professional dancers to maintain low body weight. Data on the dynamic body image, which might be a significant factor for this group of professional ballet dancers, is scanty. Even rarer is the study on non-professional dancers, even though they may be a group that may have the same potential to develop eating disorders. The method employed a comparison of twenty-five non-professional ballet dancers with thirty three control persons with regard to many aspects of body image and eating behaviors employing "Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire," the "Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire, the Eating Disorder Inventory and the "Body Image Avoidance Questionnaire." Besides these questionnaire measures, a digital distortion technique was employed to provide information with regard to the static and dynamic body image. (Static and dynamic body image and eating disorders among non-professional ballet dancers)

The results suggested that ballerinas have a tendency to higher disposition to overweight - p

Eating Disorders in Child Dancers:

Research has shown that children that take up dancing have a greater risk of developing eating disorders as they grow up. This is possibly the first time that a connection between dancing for pleasure in children and such eating disorders has been established. The study suggests that a dancing as a child could have a long-term effect on the eating habits of the child when she grows up to be a woman. This study was done at the University of Minnesota and can be seen in the Journal of Psychosomatic Research. The incidence of eating disorders in professional ballet dancers and elite athletes were established by earlier studies. Eating disorders are a major issue in the United Kingdom and 165,000 women are believed to be effected by it. These eating disorders are causing great concern as they are the major cause of psychiatric deaths. It is believed that media images have a major role to play in the influence on the eating habits of the younger generation as they frequently show super thin model and pop stars. The desire to possess a perfect body causes the loss of control on eating habits and the development of a preoccupation with appearances is the result. "Once youngsters become aware of how they look it can become quite a consuming interest." (Anorexia linked to child dancers)

The study to establish any connection between childhood dancing and adult eating habits was conducted on five hundred and forty six women in the age group seventeen to fifty five. Each of the participants was questioned on their possibility of dancing in childhood. They also answered questionnaires that were designed to measure disordered eating habits, body image and any signs of depression. Just over one third of the participants answered in the positive regarding dancing during childhood. The results displayed the fact that those that had danced in their childhood showed a greater tendency for bulimic behavior and were more worried about their weight and possessed a greater desire towards perfect looks. The researchers went on to add that although there were no important differences between those that danced in their childhood and those that did not dance in their childhood with respect to their present body mass index, the results indicated that those who had danced in their childhood showed a greater disposition to a smaller ideal or preferred body mass index. (Anorexia linked to child dancers)