Anorexia Nervosa - A Psychological Eating Disorder
Anorexia nervosa is very serious and it has an impact on health mentally and physically. Anorexia nervosa, or anorexia as it is popularly recognized of, shares the psychological causes that other similar eating disorders generates, such as bulimia, binge eating and so on. Similar to these eating disorders, it is characterized through an extensive psychological body image deformation and extreme weight loss.
The modality in which this weight is lost is different from bulimia, where intentional purging through vomiting, laxatives, enemas or other related methods causes the weight loss. Anorexia nervosa is a self-imposed starvation. It is a serious, life-threatening eating disorder, which usually comes from emotional causes.
With this disorder, patient wants to attain “perfect body proportions and weight” through voluntary starvation, excessive exercise, diet pills and unbalanced diets. Although people with anorexia nervosa are obsessed with food, they constantly deny their hunger.
Anorexia is perhaps the most common eating disorder compared to bulimia. It is comparatively a new condition, since it is treated as the product of modern society, where persons are fed with visual information on how the “perfect body” should look like and ways to attain that goal.
Anorexia explodes in where we lose track of a balanced way to obtain this body proportions and do everything excessively: extreme exercising, too much dieting and so on.
All these unhealthy habits leave a deep scar in one’s overall health and in severe cases, anorexia can be life threatening and can cause severe medical problems that even lead to death.
The digestive system, the cardiovascular system, muscular tissues and the immune system are all affected by anorexia nervosa, each having their own division of damaging consequences.
In addition to these, anorexia nervosa also affects hormonal levels, deranging them, disturbs electrolyte balance and usually hinders the body from receiving the essential quantity of vitamins and minerals.
Anorexia Nervosa Symptoms
There are many signs, which indicate that person is suffering from anorexia nervosa. The condition comes in several levels of seriousness, if he or she displays the following patterns:
- Refuses to maintain a body weight at or above normal for age, height and constitution.
- Intense fear of gaining weight or becoming fat, even though below normal weight.
- Disturbance in the way in which one's body weight or shape is experienced.
- In females, loss of following menstrual periods and reduced interest in sexual wish among males.
- Voluntary starvation, excessive exercise or any other forms
- Extreme care over body shape and weight.
Although a patient doesn’t particularly shows all the above-mentioned factors at the particular time, or displays them at lower intensities, this doesn’t denote that he has entirely avoided anorexia nervosa.
Researches shows that about half of today’s teenagers and young men and women ages between 20-30 are experiencing at least a mild form of anorexia nervosa in an emotionally concerning their looks. This eating disorder is still dominant in women, but mostly men tend to give more importance to their looks and develop softer forms.
Anorexia nervosa effects are difficult to overcome, but with commitment, patience and support it can be done. There are some ways to help promote a healthy body image. Regardless of your gender however, try to be a good role model in your attitudes regarding food, body image, and weight-related matters.