A childhood friend of mine, I will refer to in this paper as Mike, has struggled with an eating disorder most of his life. Mike weighed 150 pound by the time he was 12 years old. He was only five foot three inches tall. When taken to the doctor for his physical he was told he needed to restrict his diet. According to Peeke (2012), he needed to lose 25 pounds to be at his ideal weight. Mike was told he was in the obese category and if he did not lose weight he was likely to have medical problems such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes or heart disease. At first Mike believed his sudden weight gain was due to puberty and wasn’t too concerned about it. By the time Mike was 15 years old he weighed 175 pounds and was finding it harder and harder to do physical activities. His family was supportive in helping Mike regain control of his food intake but he just kept gaining weight.
Biological theorist’s looks at an eating disorder as a biological process of human functioning. They look at anatomical or biochemical concerns with the brain and body. These theorists believe these abnormalities are the result of genetic inheritance, evolution or viral infection. They also have research proving activity in the hypothalamus
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Comer (2011) defines how the past decade suggests that body image concerns play a big role in dysfunctional eating patterns. Comer (2011) goes on to say that gender plays a role in how society has put double standards on what a person physical appearance must be to be attractive. Mike must be willing to make healthy decisions in what he eats. Social-cultural therapist would be interested in Mike’s lifestyle and his requirements and pressure at his work place. These theorist emphasis racial and ethnic differences, as well as, emphasis on thinness and bias against obesity could be factors in eating