Eating disorders those days grow to extend of a real epidemic, especially among young females trying to imitate their celebrity idols. Anorexia nervosa is a severe eating disorder that few people know of, unfortunately. There is no one to blame for anorexia. When someone has the disease by no means it is because the person was poorly brought up by their parents. Cultural, genetic, and personality factors closely interact with life situations and can create a favorable environment for the development of psychological eating disorders.
Is Anorexia the Way to Lose Weight?
There is nothing pleasant in anorexia. Many people who follow exhausting diets recklessly say that they wish they could develop anorexia. They only see the visible effects of the disease – excessive thinness, but do not realize the enormous danger behind this “trendy” disease. Anorexics by no means are proud of their perfect figure and do not feel themselves incredibly beautiful; once you chat with an anorexic for a while, you will learn a lot about that person – that a 1.80 m (71 in) tall girl weighing 55 kg (121 lb) sees herself as a fat, unattractive, and unstylish thing.
Death Rate among Anorexics
Anorexia can be lethal. Note that anorexia has the highest death rate among psychological disorders. If you or someone you know have eating disorder symptoms, act now – go to consult a doctor.
Anorexia Nervosa Treatment
Luckily, even such a disorder with serious implications can be successfully treated these days. There are a few ways of treating anorexia nervosa:
- dietary therapy: taking dietary supplements, such as zinc, fatty acids etc.,
- raising MBI through taking medications: antidepressants, tranquilisers and even oestrogen shots,
- psychological therapies: cognitive behavioral therapy, family therapy, cognitive rehabilitation therapy.
There’s no magic way to cure anorexia working wonders for absolutely all patients. Each patient needs an individual anorexia nervosa treatment – for example, Rader Programs. For more than 30 years they have helped those suffering from eating disorders.
But let’s find out the symptoms of the disorder first.
How Anorexia Shows Itself
It is not easy to rid oneself of anorexia; it is not a disease that pops its symptoms up once a month. Anorexics are not in power of their own consciousness, they can not control their own feelings. Those people are literally obsessed with their weight, food, extra calories, and the image of their body. Many are tortured by the disease even in their sleep – they are haunted by nightmares and dreams fixed on food and nutrition. The poor sufferers count calories and are horrified by extra 100 grams (22 lb) even in their dreams. Anorexia is a terrible disease – it tears its victims out of their normal life and dooms them for loneliness. Anorexia is very hard to cure. In some cases the fight with anorexia takes years.
Specific Anorexia Symptoms
Anorexic can be distinguished first of all by unwillingness to have the weight corresponding to the body construction, age, and height. Usually, anorexia victim constantly feels persisting fear of gaining weight; moreover, this fear blocks the rest of the feelings and emotions. This fear does not care about the actual weight of the person, even when the person is about to die from starvation.
Anorexic believes that their weight, figure measurements and size are associated with the way they feel and what their personal status is. Anorexia victims often deny the seriousness of their condition and can not objectively judge their own weight.
Amenorrhea as Anorexia Symptom
Another symptom, typical for women, is disturbed menstrual cycle and running at least three periods behind. If periods start only after some hormonal treatment (for instance, oestrogen injections) the woman is diagnosed with “amenorrhea” (no menstruation).
Types of Anorexia
There are two types of anorexia nervosa behaviour styles:
- restrictive – the sick person limits the food intake, does not get full to the scuppers and then vomits.
- cleansing – the sick person gets stuffed and then vomits or abuses laxatives, diuretics or enemas.
