| Anorexia Nervosa |
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Anorexia nervosa is an illness that usually occurs in teenage girls, but it
can also occur in teenage boys, and adult women and men. People with
anorexia are obsessed with being thin. They lose a lot of weight and are
terrified of gaining weight. They believe they are fat even though they are
very thin. Anorexia isn't just a problem with food or weight. It's an attempt
to use food and weight to deal with emotional problems.
People with anorexia hardly eat and starve themselves. Most avoid high-
calorie foods and exercise way too much. People with anorexia tend to be
thin. Someone with anorexia sees himself or herself as "fat", even though
they’re definitely not. They deny any problem with their eating habits, and
will resist your attempts to get them to eat or return to a more healthy
weight. A person with anorexia feels hungry all the time. But this gives
them a sense of feeling in control.
People with anorexia have an intense fear of being fat. When a person
has anorexia, he or she hardly eats at all — and the small amount of food
that is eaten becomes an obsession. A person with anorexia may weigh
food before eating it or compulsively count the calories of everything. It is
not unusual for a person with anorexia to also exercise excessively in an
attempt to lose weight.
The cause of anorexia nervosa is unknown, although it is likely that both
inherent biological factors and factors in the patient's social environment
play a part. The disease is mainly encountered in the western world and
is more common among women in certain professions, such as models
and ballet dancers. Puberty, deaths in the family and other life stresses
are all believed to be potential triggers of anorexia.
can also occur in teenage boys, and adult women and men. People with
anorexia are obsessed with being thin. They lose a lot of weight and are
terrified of gaining weight. They believe they are fat even though they are
very thin. Anorexia isn't just a problem with food or weight. It's an attempt
to use food and weight to deal with emotional problems.
People with anorexia hardly eat and starve themselves. Most avoid high-
calorie foods and exercise way too much. People with anorexia tend to be
thin. Someone with anorexia sees himself or herself as "fat", even though
they’re definitely not. They deny any problem with their eating habits, and
will resist your attempts to get them to eat or return to a more healthy
weight. A person with anorexia feels hungry all the time. But this gives
them a sense of feeling in control.
People with anorexia have an intense fear of being fat. When a person
has anorexia, he or she hardly eats at all — and the small amount of food
that is eaten becomes an obsession. A person with anorexia may weigh
food before eating it or compulsively count the calories of everything. It is
not unusual for a person with anorexia to also exercise excessively in an
attempt to lose weight.
The cause of anorexia nervosa is unknown, although it is likely that both
inherent biological factors and factors in the patient's social environment
play a part. The disease is mainly encountered in the western world and
is more common among women in certain professions, such as models
and ballet dancers. Puberty, deaths in the family and other life stresses
are all believed to be potential triggers of anorexia.
There are actually a lot of things that can happen to a person with anorexia nervosa:
Treatment of anorexia is difficult, because people with anorexia believe there is nothing wrong with them. Patients in the early
stages of anorexia (less than 6 months or with just a small amount of weight loss) may be successfully treated without having to
be admitted to the hospital. But for successful treatment, patients must want to change and must have family and friends to help
them.
A person with anorexia can do damage to the heart, liver, and kidneys by not eating enough. The body slows everything down as
if it were starving, causing a drop in blood pressure, pulse, and breathing rate. (For girls, this starvation mode may mean they
stop getting their periods.) Lack of energy can lead people with anorexia to feel light-headed and unable to concentrate. Anemia
(lack of red blood cells) and swollen joints are common in people with anorexia, as are brittle bones. Anorexia can cause a
person's hair to fall out, fingernails to break off, and a soft hair called lanugo to grow all over the skin. In severe cases, eating
disorders can lead to severe malnutrition and even death.
Statistics show that:
Therapists, nurses, family doctors and psychiatrists have not had much long-term success in the treatment of anorexia/bulimia.
People with more serious anorexia need care in the hospital, usually in a special unit for people with anorexia and bulimia.
Treatment involves more than changing the person's eating habits. Anorexic patients often need counseling for a year or more so
they can work on changing the feelings that are causing their eating problems. These feelings may be about their weight, their
family problems or their problems with self-esteem. Some anorexic patients are helped by taking medicine that makes them feel
less depressed. These medicines are prescribed by a doctor and are used along with counseling.
- For females, you stop getting your period or menstruating
- Dry, cracked skin
- Thinning hair
- Shrinking of muscles and other organs such as the brain
- Becoming sick a lot
- Personality change – bad mood or irritability
- Heart problems – Can lead to a heart attack
- Malnutrition – not getting enough vitamins and minerals
- Refusing to eat
- Says he/she is fat when they definitely are not
- Pale skin
- Dizzy spells
- Bone loss - osteoporosis
- Bloating
- Develop lanugo (downy hair) on face and arms.
- Can’t think clearly
- Extreme over-activity, panic, anxiety, and sometimes drug abuse go along with Anorexia
- Death
Treatment of anorexia is difficult, because people with anorexia believe there is nothing wrong with them. Patients in the early
stages of anorexia (less than 6 months or with just a small amount of weight loss) may be successfully treated without having to
be admitted to the hospital. But for successful treatment, patients must want to change and must have family and friends to help
them.
A person with anorexia can do damage to the heart, liver, and kidneys by not eating enough. The body slows everything down as
if it were starving, causing a drop in blood pressure, pulse, and breathing rate. (For girls, this starvation mode may mean they
stop getting their periods.) Lack of energy can lead people with anorexia to feel light-headed and unable to concentrate. Anemia
(lack of red blood cells) and swollen joints are common in people with anorexia, as are brittle bones. Anorexia can cause a
person's hair to fall out, fingernails to break off, and a soft hair called lanugo to grow all over the skin. In severe cases, eating
disorders can lead to severe malnutrition and even death.
Statistics show that:
- 1% of all North American teenagers have eating disorders.
- 10% of these teenagers will die.
- People struggling with anorexia/bulimia are among those whose health are at great risk.
Therapists, nurses, family doctors and psychiatrists have not had much long-term success in the treatment of anorexia/bulimia.
People with more serious anorexia need care in the hospital, usually in a special unit for people with anorexia and bulimia.
Treatment involves more than changing the person's eating habits. Anorexic patients often need counseling for a year or more so
they can work on changing the feelings that are causing their eating problems. These feelings may be about their weight, their
family problems or their problems with self-esteem. Some anorexic patients are helped by taking medicine that makes them feel
less depressed. These medicines are prescribed by a doctor and are used along with counseling.