Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Introduction to Anorexia Nervosa: A serious illness

  Anorexia Nervosa is not only an eating disorder, it's a mental illness that attacks adolescences, adults, men and women everyday. In this blog, I will give a general overview of this disease, how to treat anorexia, talk about who is affected, what the causes are and discuss anorexia among college students. Nonetheless, my goal is to raise awareness for this disorder.

anorexia nervosa image Anorexia Nervosa: An Obsession Having a Skinny Body


Anorexia: A General Overview

   Anorexia Nervosa is more than just an eating disorder, it's a mental illness. Although society takes a lot of the blame for this disease, Anorexia is genetically predisposed through genes and hormones. When looking for someone with this disease, the warning signs are very noticeable in a sense that their lives and daily activities will change drastically. There will be intense, fast weight loss, they will withdraw themselves from social activities and they will have a negative self-image and see something entirely different than what actually appears in the mirror. 
    When someone becomes more consumed with their body image rather than relationships, school or work, then take that as a serious sign of someone suffering from an eating disorder. Victims of this disease severely limit the amount of food that they intake and go to extreme measures to lose weight. They will cut their food into very small portions, exercise constantly, refuse to eat around other people and use laxatives and diuretics to speed up their weight loss process. 


     A number of different programs have been designed to help treat anorexia but there still isn’t a cure. Sometimes the person can gain weight by increasing social activity, reducing physical activity and using schedules for eating. Most patients will start with short hospital visits and continue treatment and therapy. If that person has lost a substantial amount of weight (below 70% ideal body weight) then they will need to have a longer hospital stay to be feed through a tube.


Treating Anorexia 


     Anorexia has more than one cause, so treating this disease is hard to manage. Thousands of people die each year because the disease goes untreated. There are also two sides; there is the psychical side and the mental state in which both need to be treated equally in order to cure this disease. In the severe phase of anorexia nervosa the patient is reluctant to accept rational arguments and it may be necessary to stop the starvation in order to prevent damage of the body. If it is impossible to persuade the patient to eat or drink nutrients in sufficient quantities at home, it may be necessary to insist on hospital care where tube-feeding or drip-feeding can be used. If the patient still refuses to accept nutrition, then sedatives may be required in order to make it possible. The patient should not go to school or work, be exposed to stress or demands, or exercise, as most of those things can be the reason of anorexia. The treatment of anorexia requires enormous patience from parents, friends and hospital staff. The cooperation of the patient will eventually be needed and this means that there is motivation needed by relatives, psychotherapists and staff.



Who is affected?

      Women in general are under a constant pressure to look good and fit in. Although every woman wants to look beautiful and attractive in the eyes of others, our society as a whole has taken it entirely too far. More importantly, this disease hits close to home, as the majority of the victims are in the U.S. Seeing images of flawless, thin females everywhere makes it hard for women to feel good about their bodies. More and more, women are also feeling pressure to have a perfect body. Anorexia has a huge effect among teenagers worldwide. Statistics indicate that in the United States alone, anorexia affects more than 10 million people. Although anorexia can occur in both sexes, the disorder is very common in the female gender. Research results indicate that more than 90 percent of people diagnosed with anorexia are women. Anorexia is mostly common in females, teenagers and young adults, rarely affecting older people. Although most people see anorexia in females, the male gender is also suffering as well, as everyone wants to fit in. Victims are all around us, as everyone wants to be accepted and anorexia doesn’t pick which obsessive, self-conscience person it attacks. Complications which specifically affect male anorexia include the fact that men with anorexia lose more muscle and tissue than women, who will instead lose body fat. The fact that muscle and tissue is more often lost in men is very harmful to the body. This makes male anorexia far more dangerous than most cases of female anorexia.

What causes anorexia?

      Anorexia is not always the desire to be thin and it’s not something to write off on and forget about. This disease is about control and people who can successfully control their eating habits this much are suffering from deeper emotional and psychological problems. People with this disorder have low self-esteem and do not have the ability to deal with their distorted self-image that they see when they look in the mirror. Most anorexics desire a sense of control, especially if they experience changes in their lives over which they have no power. Changes that can trigger anorexia may include divorce of one’s parents, receiving unexpectedly low grades, rejection in a peer relationship, having a sports injury, and entering a new school. Along with control, this disorder is also about escape. For example, someone who has anorexia nervosa is already predisposed to having mental health issues as is therefore; they are also likely to suffer from other conditions. Starving allows victims to temporarily forget depression, anxiety, stress, anger and guilt. Since anorexics already have high expectations of themselves, if they fall short of their goal weight, they will go to extreme measures to be the size that they want to be. The individual becomes preoccupied with an unhealthy desire to lose weight and it eventually leads to them starving themselves, maintaining rigorous exercise programs, and sometimes by purging, laxatives, or diuretics. Even when weight loss endangers a sufferer’s health they may not understand they have a problem that must be solved. Other causes of anorexia include:

· Certain personality traits, such as obsessive-compulsive and sensitive-avoidance


· Genetic factors that predispose people to developing anxiety, perfectionism, and obsessive-compulsive thoughts


· Low self-esteem, lack of identity. Anorexics frequently lack a firm understanding of themselves; they hope to gain attention and respect through achievements, including having an admired exterior, rather than cultivating their natural personality.


· Overprotective, rigid families. These families do not invite open communication, especially concerning emotional issues. Mothers are emotionally cool while fathers are physically or emotionally absent.


· Media. Studies have shown that women who watch TV three or more nights a week, influenced by the ubiquitous images of thin women, are more likely to develop anorexia.


· Event triggers. Certain memorable incidents, from teasing to rape, can set the ball rolling for individuals who are already vulnerable.


· Athletics. Involvement in a sport that demands thinness encourages anorexia.

Anorexia and college students

         Although eating disorders affects people of all ages, the most prominent is college students. People always say that you will gain the freshman 15 when during your first year of college. It’s not gaining the weight that is the problem; it’s how students respond to it. According to The Massachusetts Eating Disorders Association, 40% of female college students have eating disorders. So why is it so hard for us to diagnose our fellow classmates with this disorder? Because they should know better. As a society, we expect this behavior from the high school girls wanting to be thin. We also assume that college students have been provided with enough information about eating disorders that they would be smarter about their eating habits and diet. So, to all the fellow college students out there, if you or one of your friends is suffering from this disease, it’s better to attack it in its earlier stages rather than let it go untreated. If you know someone who is suffering or need help yourself, call this hotline: 781-647-6700 or email: Info@waldenbehavioralcare.com. This is a care center that is available to victims and patients at any time.

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