Anorexia Nervosa

Anorexia loosely means ‘loss of appetite’ and although many of us experience this in times of stress or feeling down, it is short lived.  Anorexia Nervosa is an eating disorder where eating is restricted over such a long period of time as to result in severe weight loss.  To maintain a low weight the sufferer may purposely restrict food intake, over-exercise, vomit and use laxatives and diuretics.  Sufferers tend to regard themselves as overweight, hence the desire to keep losing weight.

A person with anorexia may:

• lose 25% of his or her original body weight  
• have a distorted body image  
• be fearful of gaining weight  
• not menstruate  
• exercise excessively  
• feel fatigued  
• have diarrhoea

Symptoms

The physical effects of anorexia can be sometimes very serious, they can include:

• an irregular heartbeat 
• decreased oxygen availability 
• heart failure 
• sudden death 
• kidney dysfunction 
• low blood pressure 
• urinary tract infections and damage to the colon 
• severe sensitivity to the cold 
• growth of down-like body hair 
• poor concentration 
• irrational thinking 
• dehydration, constipation, diarrhoea 
• seizures, muscle cramps or spasms 
• chronic indigestion loss of menstruation or irregular periods

The psychological effects of anorexia may be:

• anxiety 
• depression 
• social withdrawal 
• mood swings 
• unpredictable behaviour personality changes

The sufferer may also have feelings of:

• guilt 
• shame 
• self-disgust 
• self-loathing suicidal thoughts

Causes

The causes of anorexia are uncertain, but many factors that may cause the development of anorexia are:

• biological factors such as the physical changes associated with adolescence and genetic or familial factors 
• social factors including the pressure to achieve and succeed 
• psychological factors such as major life changes or a fear of the responsibility of adulthood 
• personality characteristics such as perfectionism, low self-esteem and the need to seek approval from others

Although the exact causes of anorexia are unknown, there is a higher rate of women who suffer from anorexia rather than men, and the general age of onset is between 12 and 21.

Treatments

Diagnosis is usually performed by a doctor, psychologist or psychiatrist. The medical professional will interview the sufferer, and family and friends. The doctor may also do a physical exam and look into the sufferer's medical history, and possibly the family’s medical history.

Anorexia is treatable, but can involve intense forms of treatment. The goals of treatment are to promote weight gain, and to correct malnutrition and psychological problems.

The types of treatment can vary from person to person depending on the severity of the illness, but may generally include:

• medical management 
• nutritional counselling 
• individual, group and family psychotherapy 
• behaviour modification therapy

Treatment can be performed out of hospital, but it is sometimes required that the sufferer is hospitalised. Hospitalisation may only occur when the person is so thin and so malnourished that they must be fed food and nutrition through a tube.  A full recovery is possible, although it is important to bear in mind that anorexia can recur later in life.

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