Anorexia nervosa: causes, symptoms, and treatments

Anorexia nervosa is a potentially fatal eating disorder, being highly dangerous and not restricted by age, sex, or any background. It is presupposed by vast worry over weight gain, unrealistic body image, which may cause the inevitable weight loss, malnutrition, and numerous physical and psychological problems.

There are also signs and symptoms of anorexia nervosa that can't be detected until a kid is older, because anyone suffering from ED will do whatever they have to to hide their habits. A brief consideration of the causes, presentation, and treatment for Anorexia nervosa must form part of the minimum interventions to be made to ensure that those who are suspected or have been dealing with this illness receive the support they need. Also Read: 8 Types Of Mental Health Disorders

What is Anorexia?

Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by self-starvation and excessive weight loss. It involves distorted perceptions of body image and weight, leading individuals, particularly teenagers, to perceive themselves as overweight even when they are not.

Such body image distortion drives individuals towards extremes of trying to limit their food consumption, through excessive exercise, or in some extreme cases, irrigating the system by procedures such as vomiting and taking laxatives to prevent weight gain. Also Read: Mental Health for Adolescents: Overview, Types & Diagnosis

The issue is not merely a food issue, but also a significant psychological issue stemming from the desire to be in control and the need for self-esteem. To be informed of what Anorexia nervosa is is to be informed of its numerous causes. Nevertheless, these conditions, together with the disorganization and quality of life of the people affected by their omnipresence, can be kept in check through early intervention and treatment.

Anorexia Nervosa Causes

The cause of anorexia nervosa is determined through several indications. Nevertheless, it has been noted that there is a cluster of genetic, psychological, and environmental influences that culminate in the emergence of the disorder.

1. Genetics: Research proves the vulnerability of anorexia nervosa to genetics; in most instances, this is family-related.
2. Psychological Factors: This makes those with anorexia nervosa vulnerable to becoming affected by perfectionism issues, low self-esteem, and fear of losing. These psychological features, along with excessive aspirations to feel in power, can end up giving rise to restrictive eating habits. Also Read: Everything You Need To Know About Obsessive Compulsive Disorder OCD
3. Environmental Factors: The thinness as a community and cultural norm of beauty and success may result in the acquisition of anorexia nervosa. In addition, the onset of the disorder may be instigated by bullying, maltreatment, or other corresponding extreme life-related stressors.
4. Trauma: Emotional, physical, or sexual abuse experiences are sources of trauma that may raise the chances of developing anorexia nervosa.

Atypical Symptoms of Anorexia Nervosa

Anorexia nervosa symptoms surface sooner, and knowing this helps one to decide on the proper treatment approach. They consist of physical and psychological symptoms that affect most spheres of a person's life.

1. Considerable Loss of Body Weight: Among many negative consequences of anorexia nervosa, the most prominent one is extreme weight loss, resulting from restrictive eating, excessive exercising, or even purging. One can undergo fasting, adopt extreme caloric restrictions, or even follow a diet as extreme as a ‘sparse’ plan.
2. Distorted Body Image: One of the most common anorexia nervosa symptoms is a distorted body image. Individuals with the condition also believe that they are overweight, even when they are so slim as to be in danger of death. They may be so attached to their appearance and physical body that they worry about their weight, or are always anxious about the size of their body.
3. Obsessive Behaviour Around Food: Anorexia can lead to an obsession with food. They might not attend social events or dine on certain foods because they are high-calorie foods, might perform some ritualized activities, such as chopping food into small fragments, or have a particular arrangement, preparation, and organization of food to have a meal.
4. Physical Symptoms: It can become extremely physical with the progression of symptoms of anorexia nervosa. These may include symptoms such as exhaustion, vertigo, fainting, flaky nails and hair, xerosis, and an overall decreased immunity. Terrible malnutrition can lead to electrolyte imbalances that can lead to life-threatening problems, including heart arrhythmias.
5. Quitting Socializing: Anorexia nervosa patients prefer to avoid contact with others. They will be able to miss meetings, meals, or any other event that needs them to take a meal due to guilt or embarrassment about their eating habit.
6. Excessive Exercise: Over-exercise is characteristic of anorexia nervosa. Even when extremely hungry or injured, a person will often develop the desire to exercise to lose weight or achieve a specific size.

Overview of Dissimilarities Between Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa

So let us chalk out the real difference between anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa in the following sections.

1. Anorexia Nervosa: Self-starvation is the predominant characteristic behaviour of anorexia nervosa individuals, and sometimes total abstinence of food, work, or excessive and extreme ways and means to avoid weight gain, such as purging or laxatives. It focuses on being skinny and having a perfect body shape, which, in the vast majority, results in acute malnourishment and weight loss.
2. Bulimia Nervosa: Instead, Bulimia nervosa is typically considered the behaviour of overeating or overindulgence towards food. This has a direct impact on the weight and other related activities, including excessive exercise. Patients with bulimia nervosa do not have to be very small or even overweight, for that matter, like with anorexia nervosa.

The two most significant differences between anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa are weight and behaviour. Anorexia nervosa victims are emaciated, while the bulimia end of the spectrum is widely variable and generally near normal weight. Both of these, though, require toxic relationships to food and body to be in place, even when the implications are not dire.

Anorexia Nervosa Treatments

The treatment of anorexia nervosa is also a team process (medical, nutritional, and psychological). This eating disorder, which has one of the lowest recovery rates because it is a complex disease to recover from, people do actually find some relief and help with their health issues with the available help.

1. Psychotherapy: Cognitive Behavioural Therapy CBT is among the most effective therapies for anorexia nervosa. It is concerned with identifying ways to change dysfunctional thinking patterns that revolve around food, body image, and self-worth. CBT assists the person in detecting and facing the existence of distorted beliefs about their weight and looks, which is a key factor in the emergence and maintenance of the condition.The therapy also equips people with healthier ways to cope with stress and emotion.
2. Nutritional Counseling: An anorexia nervosa treatment process involves a registered Nutritionist who offers counselling and education on the importance of regaining proper nutrition and gaining a balanced eating pattern. It is aimed at setting up a systematic eating system that facilitates progressive weight gain and rectifies all nutritional imbalances brought on by restrictive dieting. The process prevents the dangers of refeeding syndrome, which is a potentially life-threatening clinical presentation.
3. Family-Based Therapy (FBT): Family therapy (FBT) is helpful with adolescents and young adults with anorexia nervosa. FBT would include the family in the treatment process, making them the facilitators of support and having a direct role in the recovery process. This helps to promote good communication and build a sound support system throughout the healing process. FBT emphasizes the process of reinstating normal, healthy eating behaviour through the involvement of parents and family members in the planning and management of meals. The treatment allows the family to learn about the disorder and gives them the means to assist their loved one in recovering a healthy attitude towards food, weight, and body image.
4. Medical Monitoring: And because anorexia has such dangerous health implications, medical supervision is a critical phase in treatment. The medical personnel monitor vital signs, electrolyte levels, and the physical well-being of the person to ensure everything is in good shape. The emaciated need medical care to recover physical well-being and prevent lethal disease. Patients who might lack mental stability but possess details of certain other disorders, suffering from psychological and medical disorders, are approached medically with professional psychological counseling with the target of dealing with mental stabilization.
5. Medication: While medication is not a central treatment modality for the management of anorexia nervosa, it can prove to be a useful adjunct treatment. Medications, though, may be useful for ‘co-morbidities’ that may accompany the disorder, such as ‘clinical depressive disorder,’ ‘anxiety disorders, ’ and ‘obsessive-compulsive disorder.’ Such disorders can impede the recovery process as well as fuel negative thoughts surrounding diet and body image. Examples of anorexia nervosa medications that may be suggested would be ‘antidepressants’ and ‘anti-anxiety medication,’ as well as ‘mood stabilizers,’ which would be part of a more comprehensive treatment approach. The medications are complementary to the underlying treatment therapy, which comprises patient education, ‘dietary therapy’ and medical supervision – all of which assist the individual to manage their symptoms and actively participate in their recovery.

Inpatient and Residential Treatment

Those who are afflicted by extreme and severe anorexia nervosa and those who do not benefit from outpatient care may require admission to an inpatient or residential treatment program. These programs have a set framework that includes round-the-clock nursing care, a variety of therapies, constant medical oversight, and dietary counselling. Life-saving treatment from severe malnutrition is possible to deliver within a residential treatment program, along with adequate monitoring.

Conclusion

Anorexia nervosa is classified as a mental disorder and an eating problem. I.e., little food that can cause a severe nutrient deficiency! Anorexia nervosa can be fatal, but therapy, anorexia nervosa medicine, and intervention that is about making it clear to those who suffer from a nutritional disorder the underlying mental health issues.

If a person has symptoms of anorexia nervosa, they should see a doctor. The result is better if the disease is found and treated early.