Anorexia

Anorexia Nervosa, or popularly shortened as Anorexia, is a mental illness characterized by lack of appetite to eat. It is a complex condition affecting females and males alike, that when not treated, can lead to death. People with this Eating Disorder have extremely low weight and have an obsessive fear of weight gain that they either starve themselves, purge, exercise excessively or use diet pills even when unnecessary.

The cause of Anorexia can vary from genetic to psychological and social factors or a combination of these. In most cases, the goal of Anorexics is to achieve their false perception of beauty, that is, being extremely thin.

Anorexia Symptoms

There are different kinds of symptoms for Anorexia. The first visible signs of Anorexic Eating are physical, the foremost of which is extreme weight loss, the body mass index (BMI) falling less than 15% of expected weight. Other physical symptoms are brittle fingernails and toenails, constant clammy feeling, dry skin and hair, easy bruising, fragile-looking appearance, loss of three or more consecutive menstrual periods, pale complexion and sunken eyes, thinning of hair and weakness.

Because Anorexia is more than an eating disorder, other symptoms such as behavioral, emotional and psychological could also set in. Among these are actual or thoughts of self-harm, anxiety, distorted body image, low self-esteem, obsessive calorie counting, refusal to eat publicly, sensitivity to weight issues and social withdrawal.

Anorexia Diagnosis

Anorexia is difficult to diagnose because it is both an eating disorder and a psychiatric illness in one. Qualified diagnosticians are psychiatrists and clinical psychologists base their diagnosis on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) published by the American Psychiatric Association. The DSM provides diagnostic criteria for anorexia based on a combination of physical characteristics and reported behavioral changes. Another reason why anorexia is difficult to diagnose because it is related to another eating disorder, bulimia nervosa, as both eating disorders have overlapping symptoms.

Anorexia Treatment

The primary treatment for Anorexia is the restoration of normal weight. Proper diet can also be accompanied by dietary supplements such as multivitamins and minerals; notable of which is zinc, which is clinically proven to hasten weight improvement. Cures for Anorexia can also include drug treatments such as antidepressants and SSRIs. Other therapies can also be conducted to improve the mental condition of the anorexic such as guidance counseling, psychotherapy, family therapy, support programs and group counseling. A combination of these treatments can improve the physical and mental health of anorexics over time.

Anorexic patients are normally outpatients with constant supervision of physicians. In more serious conditions, however, they can be involuntarily hospitalized especially when the case is so severe that it can lead to death of the patient.