Anorexia

Anorexia

Anorexia (anorexia nervosa) is an eating disorder that is characterized by restrictive food intake in regard to one’s needs, which usually leads to dangerous levels of weight loss and a distorted body image. Those who suffer from anorexia have an intense fear of gaining weight which leads to behavior that can endanger their health in many ways, they usually aren’t aware of the seriousness of their disorder and the seriousness of the different states they get their bodies into because of it. These behaviors are inducted and continued by the patient.

Anorexia is more common in women than in men but can appear in both sexes and usually appears in the adolescent period. The specific causes of anorexia aren’t determined but it is speculated that, as with a lot of mental disorders, a combination of genetic and surrounding factors is responsible. Other mental health problems can worsen the predispositions of this disorder, like obsessive-compulsive disorder and personality traits like it. An often comorbidity is substance abuse, depressive disorders, and anxious disorders, there is also an increased risk of suicide. Modern culture, media, and social networks put an accent on thinness when it comes to bodily image, social pressure can play a very important role in the development of this disorder.

Symptoms:

Emotional and behavioral symptoms are associated with the extreme focus on food, this can mean all sorts of behaviors like preparing food and not eating it, refusing food, lying about how much one eats, obsessive calorie counting, induced vomiting, limiting the diet to very few “safe” foods, spitting out food after chewing and similar.

Other emotional and behavioral symptoms might include excessive exercise, intense fear of weight gain, extreme focus on appearance, changes in mood, irritability, lack of libido…

The group of physical symptoms that characterize this disorder are extreme weight loss, exhaustion, lightheadedness, nausea, constipation, stomach pain, absence of hunger, lowered bone density, difficulty with concentration, increased sensitivity to coldness, swelling of arms and legs, and increased anxiety levels.

The state of malnutrition and hunger in which weight is rapidly decreasing can lead to numerous other health complications like cardiovascular problems, anemia, lower blood pressure, problems with kidneys, hormonal disbalance, absence of menstrual cycles in women, early osteoporosis, complications with the digestive tract, and others.

Treatment:

Because it is common for people with this disorder to not realize the severity of their state, it is important that if you doubt that someone you know might have anorexia you react and urge that person to seek help. Even if this turns out to be a false alarm, this outcome is much preferable to allowing the symptoms to continue, early intervention provides the greatest chances for successful treatment.

Treatment is centered around nutritional rehabilitation and psychotherapy, in some cases hospitalization is necessary.

Written by: Bachelor of Psychology, Aleksa Holcer.

This text is intended for informational purposes only. If you experience any symptoms, it is recommended to seek advice from your doctor or a qualified healthcare professional.

Image taken from: https://unsplash.com/photos/persons-left-hand-wrapped-by-tape-measure-ECXB0YAZ_zU

Anorexia nervosa - Symptoms and causes. (n.d.). Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/anorexia-nervosa/symptoms-causes/syc-20353591

Eating disorders. (n.d.). National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/eating-disorders

ICD-10 version:2019. (n.d.). https://icd.who.int/browse10/2019/en#/F50-F59



Moore, C. A., & Bokor, B. R. (2023, August 28). Anorexia nervosa. StatPearls - NCBI Bookshelf. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK459148/