What You Need to Know About Anorexia Nervosa: Causes, Symptoms and Treatment

 

                          Anorexia Nervosa
 

In today’s world some people want to grow weight where’s other person want to reduce weight. Actually we should maintain a healthy diet and fit body.

But some people are so much obsessed with thinness that they don’t eat what they need to eat for healthy life. And in this day we are actually obsessed to become thin. And for this some people just stop eating.

So today I am going to talk about this topic which is called anorexia nervosa. And this is really important for everyone to know about this disorder because it has become a tension for everyone.

In this post you will get to know about

• What anorexia nervosa is
• Causes
• Signs and symptoms
• Diagnosis and
• Treatment of anorexia nervosa

Let’s go to the main discussion of today’s topic.

 

What Is Anorexia Nervosa

Anorexia nervosa is one kind of eating disorder which is referred as a serious mental health condition and it is also life threatening. It is also called anorexia. It is mainly a disorder in which people don’t eat and loss excessive weight.

These people have intense fear of becoming fat and often they have a distort view of seeing themselves as fat when actually they are thin. It is mainly diagnosed when a person weighs less than their normal body weight.

Anorexia is a Greek word in which an means denoting negation and orexis means appetite, so it means loss of appetite. And nervosa means the functional and non-organic nature of the disorder.

Anorexia nervosa was coined by Sir William Gull in1873. And Miss A was one of the earliest studies of anorexia. There are 2 patterns in one people reduce their weight by restricting their food which is called restricting type anorexia nervosa and another lose weight by vomiting after meal or even engage in eating binges which is called binge-eating/ purging type anorexia nervosa.

Anorexia actually not about food it involves emotional challenges and unhealthy life styles which can end in life taking incidents also. It mainly appears in teenage years or early adulthood.

People think it happen more in women but it can happen to anyone. But it is diagnosed more in women than men. Anorexia is different than anorexia nervosa because it simply means loss of appetite which can be the symptoms of other diseases also so it should be in mind that there should be other symptoms also.

 

Causes

Like many other disorder, the main or exact causes of anorexia nervosa is not known. But researchers are trying to find out that. And there are some factors which are believed to be the reason behind this disorder. These are

• Genetic

It is believed that anorexia nervosa is highly heritable. So if there is a member in the family who is suffering from this disorder so other member can inherit it.

• Environmental

Modern culture emphasizes thinness which is also a factor. Also criticism about their weight, body shape or eating habits can play a role. Society pressure or profession to become slim is also a factor.

• Psychological

Anxiety, depression or low self esteem can play a role. If anyone has personality traits toward perfectionism then they can have it. Sexual abuse, trauma like racism also play role in this.

• Transitions

Sometime new school, job, relationship breakup or death of a loved one can trigger also.

• Biological

Researchers have found a relationship with other mental disorders like schizophrenia, obsessive compulsive disorder, anxiety, and depression.

 

Signs and Symptoms

There are some physical, emotional and behavioral signs and symptoms of anorexia nervosa. And these symptoms are related to starvation, unrealistic perception of body weight and fear of becoming fat. Sometimes it becomes very hard to notice these symptoms because these people try to hide them.

• Physical symptoms

low body weight

dry skin, hair loss, swollen hands and feet, brittle nails

low blood pressure, muscle loss, fatigue or exhaustion

dizziness or lightheadedness, upset stomach , constipation

less frequent periods or loss of menstruations, infertility, increased facial hair

increasing the risk of fractures, loss of bone density, bad breath, tooth decay

insomnia, irregular heartbeat, lanugo( soft fine hair growing over the face and body)

• Emotional and Behavioral symptoms

always try to avoid meals or refusing to eat

making excuses for not eating, making foods for others but they don’t eat

sometimes eating only foods which is low in fat and calories, lying about how much food has been eaten

don’t want to eat in public

frequently checking in the mirror to find  flaws, fear of gaining weight, admire people who are thin

always complain about getting fat, covering up in layers of clothing

social isolation, irritability

lack of emotion, reduced interest in sex

poor self-esteem, depression, anxiety disorders, rapid mood swings, ashamed of oneself

self harming, excessive exercise

 

Diagnosis of Anorexia Nervosa

So the diagnosis of anorexia is difficult because the people who are suffering from this disorder don’t accept that they need to see a professional. But early diagnosis and treatment have a chance to have a good outcome.

When you will go to see a doctor he will ask you some questions like your body weight, eating habits, mental and physical health to understand your situations.

And you will have to go to some physical checkup to see that if you are suffering from some other medical conditions, blood pressure and heart rate. Also do some psychological test.

Mental health professional will use DSM-5 criteria which are given below

• person has a distorted body perception, places inappropriate emphasis on weight or shape in judgments of himself/herself or fails to appreciate implications of her/his low weight.
• has a very fearful of gaining weight or repeatedly seeks to prevent weight gain despite low body weight
• people purposely takes in too little nourishment, resulting in body weight that is very low and below that of other people of similar age and gender.

 

Treatment

So it is obvious that treatment for this disorder is difficult because people suffering from it will not accept the fact. But family members and friends should help the person to get the treatment.

The main strategy of treatment is to help you to restore your normal body weight and also follow normal eating habits. Mainly it is a lifelong challenge to complete.

   Therapy

Family should also join in the therapy to help you. There are 2 kinds of therapies to help you which is group therapy and individual therapy.

Individual therapy

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can help the person in this. This therapy mainly helps to change negative thoughts and behaviors into positive ones. It also helps you to teach how to cope with emotions.

Family therapy

In this kind of therapy your family members are also present. They try to keep you in track with your eating habits and maintain good lifestyle.

Group therapy

It will help you to interact with other people who are also suffering from anorexia nervosa. Sometime this can make worse so it’s important to be in the track.

Medication and hospitalization

Actually there is no medication to treat anorexia nervosa. Sometimes antidepressants are given to them who are also suffering from anxiety and depression. But it doesn’t work for anorexia nervosa.

If you’re severely below weight then you can be hospitalized. They will put you under some good diet.

It can be said that there is no method which can prevent anorexia nervosa. So, if the people who are suffering from this get treatment in time and also family members help him/her in this then we can hope that he/she will overcome this.

So that is all for today. Hope that it will help you a little. See you in the next post. Thank you.

Sources

Eating Disorder: Anorexia Nervosa. In: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders DSM-5. 5th ed. Arlington, Va.: American Psychiatric Association; 2013.