Chapter 9
deals with some social problems faced by different age groups in the current
society.We’ll be
touching on topics like eating disorders, obesity, an aging population and
euthanasia.
Eating Disorders
Eating
disorders are more common among the young who are generally affected by the
views and values of society.
Anorexia Nervosa
According
to ‘medicalnewstoday.com’,
‘Anorexia nervosa is a potentially
life-threatening eating disorder. It is a serious psychological disorder
characterized by either a significantly reduced appetite or complete aversion
to eating’. Most who suffer from this disorder are female
adolescents, probably because society expects women to be tiny, waif-like, and
thin.
A
person suffering from Anorexia Nervosa is one who:
Refuses to maintain normal body
weight for age and height.
Weighs 85% or less than what is
expected for age and height.
Denies the dangers of low
weight.
Is terrified of becoming fat.
Is terrified of gaining weight
even though she/he is alarmingly underweight.
May suffer from depression,
irritability, withdrawal, peculiar behavior, strange eating habits.
Diets to absurd levels –
sometimes refusing to eat.
Bulimia
affects a wider group compared to Anorexia Nervosa. Research suggests that
about four percent (4%), or four out of one hundred, college-aged women have
bulimia. Oddly enough, the weight of bulimics may be normal or near normal.
Usually, a
bulimic diets, becomes hungry, and then binge eats in response to powerful
cravings. The person usually:
Feels out of control while
eating.
Fears gaining weight and
frantically tries to "undo" the binge by vomiting, misusing
laxatives or fasting to get rid of the calories.
Believes self-worth requires
being thin.
Puts up a brave front but is
often depressed, lonely, ashamed, and empty inside.
Obesity
At one extreme, we have people who want to be thin. At the
other, we have people who are overweight and some who are obese. Some are
concerned about their weight, but many don’t seem bothered at all. In fact, in
many Asian societies, parents are keen to keep the ‘baby fat’ even when the
kids grow older. In certain societies, being overweight is a sign of
prosperity, with most forgetting the health risks that accompany this
condition.
Being
overweight increases the risk of illness and brings on diseases, such as
diabetes, hypertension and cardiac problems. Individuals who are overweight and
obese may also sometimes experience social stigmatization and discrimination.
Obesity refers to a condition where one is extremely
overweight.
Body Mass
Index (BMI) is a mathematical calculation used to determine whether an individual
is overweight.
According to wikipedia, 'Population ageing is a phenomenon that occurs when the median age of a
country or region rises'.
Advancements in
the field of Medicine have led to people living longer and to a lower infant
mortality rate. Changing social attitudes on marriage and childbearing have
resulted in a reluctance to tie the knot. The realization that raising children
today is a financial burden has also led to married couples preferring to have
as few children as possible.
Rising life
expectancy, coupled with declining birth rates has resulted in an aging
population in most countries. Japan, Korea and Singapore are trying to encourage
young couples to have more children with lots of incentives, but there seem to
be few takers.
So, what’s wrong
with an aging population?Population in
the shape of an inverted pyramid brings benefits as well as problems.
According to Wikipedia, ‘Euthanasia(from Greek: “good death") is the
practice of ending the life of a person or an animal because they are perceived
as living an intolerable life, in a painless or minimally painful way either by
lethal injection, drug overdose, or by the withdrawal oflife support.’
Because of conflicting religious and humanist views, Euthanasia is a controversial issue. Some
countries have legalised the practice and some countries condemn it. However,
although a crime in some countries, prosecutions have been rare.