It started as the models’ disease, when the shapely bodies of photo models became fashionable and were projected as role models by the media.
The society of our days is increasingly influenced by the various standards that are circulating, and many times it is not able to discern the positive from the negative. This phenomenon is more frequent in young people around puberty, as they are the most easily influenced.
Unfortunately, anorexia has taken on great proportions in our time since more and more teenagers and young people, mostly girls and women, manifest it.
What is anorexia?
Anorexia Nervosa is an eating disorder in which patients are obsessed with their weight and driven by a constant desire to lose it. Although the disease is related to eating disorders, it is characterized as a psychogenic disease, as patients voluntarily restrict their food intake for fear of gaining weight. Thus, anorexia has been defined as a syndrome of self-imposed starvation, resulting in great weight loss for the patient.
People with anorexia place great value on controlling their weight and figure, and use extreme methods to achieve this, which interfere significantly with other activities in their lives. They try to control calorie intake by vomiting after eating or by abusing laxatives, nutritional supplements, diuretics, or even enemas. They may also be trying to lose weight by exercising too much.
What causes anorexia?
The exact cause of anorexia is unknown. As with many diseases, it is probably a combination of biological, psychological, and environmental factors.
- Biological factors: Although it is not yet clear exactly which genes are involved, there may be genetic changes that make some people more vulnerable to anorexia. Some people may have a genetic tendency towards perfectionism, sensitivity, and persistence, traits always associated with anorexia.
- Psychological factors: Some emotional characteristics may contribute to anorexia. Young women may have compulsive tendencies in their character that make them more prone to strict diets and the voluntary restriction of food consumption. They may also have an extreme tendency towards perfectionism, which leads them to think that they are never thin enough.
- Environmental factors: Modern Western culture places emphasis on being thin and fit. A person’s success and individual worth are often equated with being thin or not. The pressure exerted can fuel the desire to be too thin, which is more common among young girls.
The symptoms
The physical symptoms of anorexia are related to hunger, but the disorder also includes emotional and psychological symptoms related to an unrealistic perception of body weight.
Physical symptoms
- Extreme weight loss
- Very slim silhouette
- Abnormal values in blood tests
- Fatigue
- Insomnia
- Dizziness
- Blue coloring of the fingers
- Thinning, breaking or falling hair
- Loss of menstruation
- Dry or yellowish skin
- Intolerance to cold
- Heart rhythm abnormalities
- Low blood pressure
- Dehydration
- Swelling of hands or feet
Psychological and behavioral symptoms
- Inexplicable preoccupation with foods and calories
- Refusal to eat
- Denial of being hungry
- Fear of getting fat
- Lying about how much they have eaten
- No change in mood (lack of emotions)
- Social withdrawal
- Irritability
- Decreased interest in sex
- Depression
Anorexia: Treatment
Eating disorder treatment is a long and difficult process that involves medical and psychological support to address all issues that contribute to or result from disrupted eating. About 80% of people who follow appropriate treatment make a full recovery or make significant progress. In general, the treatment program includes three stages:
- weight restoration to improve health, mood, and mental function.
- treatment of psychological disorders such as distorted perceptions of body image, low self-esteem, and interpersonal conflicts.
- long-term remission and rehabilitation, or full recovery.
Early diagnosis and treatment increase the rate of successful recovery. In cases of severe weight loss, hospital follow-up with a special diet plan is needed to meet the patient’s medical and nutritional needs. When malnutrition is corrected and weight gain begins, individual psychotherapy will help the patient discover what they are trying to achieve or avoid with these eating behaviors, overcome low self-esteem, change distorted thinking and behavior, and develop healthier and more effective ways to feel better and take control of their lives.
Support groups and psychotherapy can also relieve loneliness and isolation and help the person manage relationships effectively. Family therapy can also help create new, healthier patterns of behavior and educate the parents of the affected child, to help it attain a normal body weight and face the challenges of puberty.