Did Hanna Marin have an Eating Disorder?
By
PsychReel
In this blog, we will answer the question “Did Hanna Marin have an Eating Disorder?”, and also talk about the character Hanna Marin from the book series and show Pretty little liars, what eating disorders are, their causes, symptoms, and treatments, and how the eating disorder of Hanna Marin was portrayed in the show.
Did Hanna Marin have an Eating Disorder?
Hanna Marin was a character on the show ‘Pretty Little Liars’ and there was a storyline of eating disorders in the show, and we will be discussing it in the later sections.
Yes, she was shown to have an eating-related issue in the show and we will delve deeper into that in the later sections.
Who is Hanna Marin?
Hanna Marin is a character on the show Pretty Little Liars. Her parents were Tom and Ashley Marin and Hanna is an only child.
Hanna Marin and her life
Hanna’s father cheated on his wife with Isabel and left his family to be with Isabel when Hanna was still a kid. Hanna’s mother was hurt and embarrassed by all that happened and Hanna told people a different story about her parents.
Hanna used to explain that her mother and father simply grew apart and chose to divorce and that she termed it as a good thing because her mother is now much happier than before and she is happy for them.
Hanna makes friends with Alison DiLaurentis, Spencer Hastings, Emily Fields, and Aria Montgomery in ninth grade.
They were always hanging out together, but they were easily manipulated and even controlled by Alison who appointed herself as a leader. Hanna was overweight and was constantly bullied by Alison, who dubbed her: “Hefty Hanna”.
All this bullying for her weight and other things in her life led to the development of an eating disorder in her. She also had a brief fling with Aria’s younger brother, Mike and Alison convinced and tricked Hanna into believing that this would ruin her friendship with Aria.
She often lived in the shadows of Allison who stole the guys Hanna liked and kept telling her that she would slowly find someone who even likes her.
Hanna drifted away from the other girls when Allison went missing in tenth grade. After that, she and Mona Vanderwaal rekindled their friendship and vowed to become famous over the summer.
Hanna lost weight as a result of the pact and returned to Rosewood High as the new queen bee. Hanna begins to get threatening texts from “A” later in the series. Due to the constant messages, she rekindled her friendship with Spencer, Aria, and Emily, who were also receiving threatening texts from “A.”
She goes on to win the title of Homecoming Queen, but “A” keeps reminding her of her awful days as “Hefty Hanna.” In fact, Hanna Marin was represented as having a binge eating disorder; nevertheless, the portrayal was more of a convenience than realistic.
What are Eating disorders?
Feeding and eating disorders are characterized by eating and feeding-related behaviors which are problematic or disruption of eating in a healthy fashion, that might cause changes in absorption or consumption of food which negatively impacts psychosocial functioning or physical health.
Overall, eating disorders affect up to 5% of the population, seen more often in adolescence and young adulthood. The DSM-5 recognizes rumination disorder, avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder, pica, anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder, in feeding and eating disorders.
Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID)
It is an eating and feeding disorder that was recently defined. Children suffering from ARFID are extremely picky eaters and have little interest in eating.
They eat only a limited variety of selective foods, which leads to improper growth and failure in meeting the required nutritional levels. It usually develops earlier than other eating disorders.
Unlike anorexia and bulimia, which are more commonly seen in girls, boys are more susceptible to ARFID. Also unlike anorexia and bulimia, people affected do not have excessive concerns about their body shape and weight. The symptoms include nutritional deficiencies, reduced or no appetite, lack of interest in having food, etc.
People suffering from ARFID may not feel hungry or may react negatively to the smell, taste, texture, or color of food. Some kids are also scared and imagine scenarios of having pain, choking, or vomiting when they eat.
When food restriction or avoidance is based on your own sensory features such as sensitivity to appearance, texture, color, smell, etc., then behavior during these conditions can be described as “restrictive eating,” “selective eating,” and “food neophobia.”
Pica
Pica is an eating disorder in which people eat nonfood items compulsively. Dirt, clay, flaking paint, chalk are among the most common items ingested. Basically, any items which are available easily around us.
Comparatively less common items include hair, glue, chalk, cigarette ashes, and feces. This disorder is more common among children, affecting 10% to 30% of young kids aged 1 to 6. It is also frequently seen in children and adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities (ID).
At times, pregnant women also crave strange items like nonfood items. For these women, pica most commonly involves ingestion of dirt and it may be related to an iron or zinc deficiency. The symptoms include stomach pain, irregular bowel movements, blood in the stool, etc, apart from the obvious compulsive ingestion of the items under question.
Anorexia Nervosa
Anorexia nervosa which is often simply called anorexia is an eating disorder whose main identifying features are an abnormal bodyweight which is on the lower side, a constant and persistent fear of gaining weight, and also a distorted sense of healthy weight.
People with anorexia nervosa place significant efforts on controlling their body weight and shape, often by using extreme and threatening efforts that significantly affect their daily lives.
To avoid weight gain or to promote weight loss, they severely restrict the quantity of food they eat. They control their calorie intake.
They may also push themselves physically so that they can lose weight. And no matter how much weight has been lost, the person still continues to be scared of gaining weight.
Bulimia Nervosa
Individuals with bulimia nervosa generally alternate dieting, or eating only low-calorie foods which they consider safe, with binge eating on greasy and unhealthy high-calorie foods.
It is characterized by eating a large amount of food over a short period of time with a sense of loss of control over how much they are eating or what they are eating. The behavior is usually secretive because they hold feelings of shame or embarrassment.
Binges can be quite enormous and are typically characterized by eating too quickly, even after being fully satisfied, causing nausea and discomfort. A binge period lasts at least once a week and is usually followed by “compensatory behaviours” such as fasting, vomiting, laxative abuse, or excessive physical activity to avoid weight gain.
People with bulimia nervosa, like those with anorexia nervosa, are too obsessed with ideas about food, weight, or shape, which have a negative and disproportionate impact on their self-worth.
Rumination disorder
Rumination disorder, also called rumination syndrome is a health condition where people repeatedly bring, that is regurgitate, undigested, or partially digested food from the stomach, rechew it, and then go on to either swallow it or spit it out.
Reportedly it does not taste acidic because the food hasn’t yet been digested yet, so it tastes normal unlike how vomit tastes. Rumination typically occurs soon after every meal. The statistics regarding the number of people suffering from this condition are not known as not many people report their problem out of embarrassment.
Binge-eating disorder
A binge-eating disorder like other disorders is a serious feeding disorder in which a person frequently consumes unusually large amounts of food and is unable to stop eating. Though many people overeat and it is quite common, people with binge-eating disorder find it hard to stop even when they start feeling uncomfortable.
However, unlike people with bulimia nervosa, they do not frequently use compensatory behaviors to get rid of the food. They avoid social situations because they fear that they may be unable to control their eating and feel embarrassed in front of them.
Binge eating is a chronic issue and it may lead to serious consequences, including diabetes, hypertension, obesity, and cardiovascular diseases.
If you’re facing this, it may be a good idea to seek the help of a therapist or other mental health professional. You can find a therapist at BetterHelp who can help you learn how to cope and address it.
Causes and risk factors of eating disorders
There are no conclusive pinpointed causes that may be leading to the development of eating and feeding disorders. There may be many causes like that of other mental health issues, such as Genetics and biology and/or psychological or emotional health.
The risk factors might include family history; that is, the eating disorder is likely to occur if someone in the family is suffering or previously suffered from any eating disorders, abuse; childhood bullying or abuse, etc.
People who have other mental health conditions are also at the risk of developing eating disorders, especially people suffering from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), depression, and intellectual disability. Other risk factors include feelings of stress, the pressure of being ‘perfect,’ fear of failure, etc.
Conclusion
We answered the question, “Did Hanna Marin have an Eating Disorder?”, and also discussed who Hanna Marin is, her life, her eating disorder, we also explored different types of eating disorders and the causes of these issues.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): Did Hanna Marin have an eating disorder?
What is Hanna Marin’s personality?
Hanna Marin’s personality is portrayed as outspoken, funny, and snobby. She started being rude after a while but she is a loyal, kind, and loving friend.
What MBTI is Hanna Marin?
Hanna Marin’s personality according to Myers Briggs Type Indicator ESFP.
What are 5 facts about eating disorders?
Some facts regarding eating disorders are; they are serious mental health disorders, men are also affected by eating disorders, it is not possible to just ‘get over’ eating disorders, they are serious and life-threatening disorders, recovery from eating disorders is possible.
How do you screen for bulimia?
Common screening questions around bulimia are whether or not the person makes himself or herself sick, whether or not the person loses control, and whether or not the weight loss is significant and not caused by other health conditions.
What is the most serious eating disorder?
Any type of eating disorder can turn out to be serious. But among the ones mentioned, Anorexia nervosa can be extremely risky and life-threatening as a person often becomes malnourished due to that and they don’t seem to recognize the issue.
How long can an eating disorder last?
Typically, an eating disorder can last on an average of 5 to 8 years. However, without proper treatment, it can last more than this.
References
Abraham, S., & Llewellyn-Jones, D. (1984). Eating disorders: The facts. New York: OxfordUniversity Press.
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.).
