[LJ Idol: Topic 16] Semi-Starvation Neurosis
To summarize the relevant points of the 1945 Minnesota Semi-Starvation Study:
- Study subjects were recruited from a pool of "conscientious objectors" - young, healthy men whose opposition to war during a military draft left them obligated to perform some form of civilian public service in lieu of joining the military.
- Nearly 400 men applied, on the strength of advertisements such as this one. The applicants expressed that they were willing to suffer and die for their country, but they were unwilling to kill other human beings. The 36 selected men were chosen on the basis of their exceptional physical and mental health, their ability to get along as a group, and their commitment to helping the researchers learn how best to treat famine victims.
- The participants were warned that no study such as this had been attempted previously, and that the researchers could not guarantee that they would complete this study without lasting damage to their health.
- After a 12-week introductory period, during which the men ate normally, a 24-week period of "semi-starvation" began, with the goal of causing a loss of about 25% of starting body weight. The semi-starvation was followed by a 12-week "rehabilitation" period, during which the men were divided into several different groups in order to see which were the most effective at causing a return to health.
- "Semi-starvation", in this context, is defined as a daily intake of about 1500-1800 calories, plus a requirement to walk about 25 miles per week (an average of a little over three miles per day).
The researchers and the research subjects noted a combination of conditions that developed in these exceptionally physically and mentally healthy men while undergoing semi-starvation, a condition that was later termed "semi-starvation neurosis".
The psychological testing instrument noted significant increases from baseline levels in depression, hysteria, and hypochondraia. Physical tests noted lowered strength and extremely lowered endurance. Other symptoms included:
- A preoccupation with food, including the desire to make meals last as long as possible. One man collected about 100 cookbooks; others hoarded kitchen utensils or watched people at restaurants.
- Hoarding behavior, even when it is unrelated to food.
- Impaired concentration, comprehension, and judgment to the point that the lead researcher observed that it was nonsense to talk about democracy to famine victims until they were fed.
- Compensation measures such as drinking excessive water, tea and coffee and chewing as many as 40 packs of gum per day.
- Neglect of personal hygiene.
- A complete lack of interest in sex and romance. One participant stated that he had "no more sexual feeling than a sick oyster."
- A near-complete lack of interest in social interaction in general, for a combination of reasons: a feeling of social inadequacy, intense irritability directed at other people, and the general feeling that it was "too much effort" to make social plans and that most such plans would be uninteresting.
- Two cases of binge eating during the "semi-starvation" phase severe enough that the subjects had to be dismissed from the study. Near-universal reports of at least some binge eating behavior (consumption of as much as 10,000 calories per day) when the subjects were returned to fully unrestricted eating.
Semi-starvation neurosis is easy to recognize in a physically and mentally healthy young man. It has even received some attention from those who study the treatment of anorexia. However, the "semi-starvation" of 1500-1800 calories per day, plus an average of an hour's walk per day, that would cause a 6'2" (male) conscientious objector to go from 200 to 150 pounds over the course of six months would be called a sensible, moderate diet and exercise plan if performed by a 5'2" housewife who wishes to go from 200 to 150 pounds in six months.
Putting "correlation between depression and obesity" or something of the sort in Google will show you research that states, yes, there is a correlation at least for women. (Some studies find no correlation or even an inverse correlation between depression and obesity for men.) Most researchers appear to believe one of these three hypotheses: depression causes overeating and thus obesity, the social stigma of obesity causes lost self-esteem and thus depression, or some biological factor predisposes women to both conditions. What if that "biological factor" was the act of dieting itself?
After all, isn't the stereotypical fat woman obsessively preoccupied with food? Won't she break her diet and binge every chance she gets? Isn't she lazy, apathetic, unmotivated, unclean? Doesn't she feel socially inadequate because she's fat? Doesn't she lack a sex drive, even putting on fat because she is afraid of sex? And isn't she really in deep-seated emotional pain, for otherwise why would she overeat?
Why? Because this culture encourages women and girls to become psychological famine victims, to starve themselves crazy. Because in the minds of far too many health care providers, it is always the fat body and never the diet that is the source of mental and even other physical health problems. Because only those men at the pinnacle of physical, mental, and moral stability have the right to consider 1800 calories a day "semi-starvation" - it's a "healthy and sensible weight-loss diet" for almost any other adult.
My sincere hope is that someday the near-universal recommendation of semi-starvation for women will go the way of the rest cure that was once prescribed for "female hysteria".