What is Anorexia by Michelle Boeckman

Anorexia Nervosa is an eating disorder that affects millions of people across the world. People suffering from this disorder are obsessed with their weight, have a distorted body image, and obsessed with what food they are consuming.  Someone with Anorexia eats much less food than his or her body needs and in the most serious cases no food at all. Many will exercise excessively to maintain a low body weight. This disorder can become extremely damaging to the body and even fatal.

The causes of Anorexia Nervosa can be either environmental, psychological, or even a mixture of the two.  Teenagers are the most common victims of anorexia and females are diagnosed more times than males. Stress plays a huge role in today’s society and can have a big affect on people and their image. The stress of meeting our media’s expectations and being thin can torment our minds and cause more stress to our bodies. The mental stress and anxiety to be thin can cause a major toll emotionally and physically and can lead to more serious issues. Our society and culture perceives a certain body type to be right can put pressure on certain people to meet that expectation, especially if they deal with certain personality traits such as perfectionism or low confidence and self-esteem. Not all cases of anorexia begin with the media’s persuasion. It also can transfer generationally within families. There is a higher risk of anorexia if it is found within a family history. Anorexia Nervosa is a higher risk for people with mood disorders such as depression or anxiety. Dieters that take it too far can become obsessed and can become in anorexic. Metabolism and brain function transforms when dieting which can cause stress and lead to anorexia nervosa.

Anorexia nervosa has mental, emotional, and physical symptoms. People with this disorder usually do not believe they have a problem and could take extreme amount of convincing from loved-ones to get them to receive any form of help. Someone battling Anorexia usually has very low body fat and is very thin. Obsession with dieting, exercising, and their weight are key symptoms with anorexia. Anorexia, unlike other eating disorders such as bulimia, causes the body to shut down at a more rapid speed because there are very little nutrients entering the body. If Anorexia is treated early treatment can be very effective, but if not it can transform into serious issues. Organs will start shitting down and stop functioning like they should. Kidney damage, bone issues, and heart problems are more serious symptoms. Starvation is an obvious worry for people with anorexia. If they are not consuming the fat and nutrients their body needs to function and survive they will slowly starve themselves, which can very easily be fatal.

All Anorexics need treatment after being diagnosed before it gets more serious. Many who refuse to eat have to be put on a feeding tube to pump the nutrients they need to consume. Those with serious physical problem need to receive treatment from a hospital. If treatment is received early hopefully all they will need to do is see a counselor and receive mental health to get them back on track to a healthier lifestyle. If dealing with Anorexia, stay surrounded by a team of encouraging people that will support you until full recovery until healthy eating habits are reached.

References

 

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/anorexia/DS00606/DSECTION=causes

 

http://www.m.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/tc/anorexia-nervosa-treatment-overview