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Anorexia Nervosa: Everything You Need to Know

Apr 27, 2023

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Do you know that around 1.25 million people in the UK suffer from an eating disorder?

Although an eating disorder is classified as a mental illness and has claimed more lives than any other mental illness, many people in the UK do not recognize it as a significant health issue.

One of the most prevalent eating disorders in the UK is Anorexia Nervosa. It is mainly found in people going through adolescence or young adulthood. People in this age group are highly vain and still finding their place in the world, so they are prone to being overly cautious about weight gain. Therefore, young adults go to great lengths to avoid food and end up causing damage to their growing bodies.

What is Anorexia Nervosa?


Anorexia nervosa is a severe eating disorder characterized by an extreme fear of gaining weight. A person experiencing anorexia nervosa has severe concerns about a distorted body image, so they restrict their food intake, leading to an unhealthily low body weight.

Symptoms of Anorexia Nervosa


One of the most evident indications that a person suffers from anorexia nervosa is that they will say they are overweight despite being underweight. Apart from that, there are many other recognizable symptoms of anorexia nervosa that you need to keep an eye on, especially if you are a parent of a young adult, are:

  • Eating very few times during a day

  • Unwillingness to maintain a healthy weight

  • Denial of being underweight

  • Impact of body weight on self-esteem

  • Difficulty eating in public

  • Frequent dieting and fasting

  • Fixation on counting calories while eating any type of food


Harmful Effects of Anorexia Nervosa


Anorexia Nervosa can have multiple harmful effects on the body and mind. Below are some of them:

  • Thinning of bones

  • Infertility

  • Stroke

  • Arrhythmia and heart failure

  • Low blood pressure

  • Acid reflux

  • Stopped menstrual cycles

  • Brittle hair and nails

  • Extreme anorexia nervosa can sometimes cause multiple organ failure


Other Eating Disorders Like Anorexia Nervosa


Anorexia Nervosa is not the only eating disorder. Many other eating disorders are equally debilitating and harmful to the body:

  • Bulimia Nervosa: Eating a lot of food and then purging oneself by using laxatives, vomiting, fasting, enemas, diuretics etc.

  • Pica: A desire to eat non-edible food items. People with pica disorders desire to eat chalk, soap, paper, hair, ice, dirt, soil, cloth, wool, pebbles, laundry detergent, or corn starch.

  • Rumination disorder:A person suffering from rumination disorder regurgitates food previously chewed and swallowed. They may rechew it and then either swallow it again or spit it out.

  • Binge eating disorder:Those with binge eating disorders frequently consume more food than they need. These people don’t make nutritious food choices and jeopardize their health.


Causes of Eating Disorders


An eating disorder can be caused because of many reasons. Below are some causes of eating disorders:

  • Social and cultural factors:Social pressure can sometimes influence a person in a way that can lead to an eating disorder. For instance, some people may want to look thinner and more beautiful in order to appeal to their peers, which might cause them to eat less than what is necessary.



  • Hereditary factors:Hereditary factors can play a major role in the development of eating disorders. People who have ancestors with eating disorders are more like to have eating disorders themselves.



  • Mental issues:Psychological factors like low self-esteem, depression and anxiety can eventually cause an eating disorder. People with mental issues do not follow healthy habits and do not care about what they eat, leading to eating disorders.



  • Trauma in early life:Sometimes, a traumatic event can lead to an eating disorder. When a person suffers abuse or neglect at an early stage of their life, they become prone to developing bad eating habits, eventually leading to an eating disorder.


Eating Disorder Treatment


An eating disorder can be treated in multiple ways. Below is a list of eating disorder treatment options:

  • Nutrition counselling:An experienced dietitian with  training in eating disorders can help improve eating habits and develop nutritious meal plans.



  • Medications: If the trigger for an eating disorder is anxiety or depression, then medications can help eliminate the root cause of the problem.



  • Psychotherapy: It has been seen that many patients with eating disorders can be treated well with psychotherapy. For instance, CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) has been found to be very effective when it comes to treating eating disorders.


Final Thoughts


Eating disorders can be very dangerous but are often ignored due to unawareness. There are multiple eating disorders like anorexia nervosa that can harm the body in a number of ways. Therefore, it is important to understand the cause of eating disorders and fix the problem before it grows into an eating disorder. But somehow, if you or someone you know starts suffering from an eating disorder, you should hasten and undergo an eating disorder treatment before it causes serious damage to your health.

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