Anorexia nervosa

Anorexia nervosa is a disorder that causes the patient to be extremely fearful of gaining weight. The person will starve them selves in order to achieve a better self image, and to conform to society. They force them selves to limit their food intake and become unhealthily thin. Anorexia usually starts with dieting yet quickly turns into this life-threatening disorder. People with this disorder have a distorted self image and do not see their bodies how they really are. Anorexia is much more prevalent in females, yet males suffer from this disorder as well. Some of the main causes of anorexia are pressure from society, stressful life events, family genetics, and wanting to look your best.

Symptoms and Signs
A person suffering from Anorexia nervosa will often engage in excessive exercise, use laxatives, limit their food intake, and have a general fear of gaining weight. People diagnosed with this disorder need help quickly. The earlier people with this disorder are admitted into rehab, the more likely that treatment will be successful. Once the person has been in this lifestyle for a while, habits have been developed, and they will be hard to break. Anorexia has extremely negative effects on people's bodies. The disorder messes with people's heads and causes them to look at them self in a negative way. Also, the person's hair becomes thin and brittle, and their skin becomes dry and yellowy. Internally, they have blood problems, they are at risk of serious heart problems, they suffer from bloating and constipation, and their kidneys are also at risk. In addition, anorexia causes weak and tired muscles along with swollen joints and possibly osteoporosis, when the bones become weak and brittle due to the loss of tissue. All these negative and harmful effects come to Anorexics because they are not properly taking care of their bodies. Their bodies are being deprived of the essential nutrients, thus they are scared internally and externally.

The signs and symptoms of Anorexia nervosa are not always easy to find, yet are vital to the person's health. People who decide to become anorexic are going through an extremely difficult battle with the mind and their body. Some of the main symptoms to look for are: unhealthy body weigh, obsession of staying thin, strange eating habits, unreasonable amounts of exercise, in women, the absence of three or more menstrual cycles (Amenorrhea). Also, the patients are prone to fatigue, constipation, dizziness, stress fractures, lanugo (fine body hair), yellowing of their skin, and bloating in their abdominal region. Other symptoms include: dehydration, purging and binging, hypothermia, the swelling of feet, laxative use, weak hair and nails, lack of body heat (always cold), and anemia. .

Treatment
There is most definitely treatment for anorexics, yet the process appears difficult because most of the time, many patients do not believe anything is wrong with them. Although, if you can get them to admit that they indeed do have a problem, then recovery and treatment appears favorable. Recovery appears an incredibly slow process for the patient and their families yet will save their life in the end. People with Anorexia do not understand the physical harm and torture that they put their body through. Treatment encompasses much more than just eating changes for the patient. Many anorexics have “brainwashed” themselves into what they believe is right. The therapists and doctors work with them to improve their social, medical, and nutritional status. When admitted to treatment early, the process goes much smoother. The longer the patient waits, the more damage is done to his or her body and mind. Self-image appears as one of the major contributing factors to Anorexia. When trying to recover in treatment, many patients cannot get past the fear of gaining weight, even when it means becoming healthy. They seem to be living in denial of their actual body image. They must understand that the image of their body appears warped. There are many types of therapy for anorexics, but two of the main types are Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy and Family Therapy. Cognitive behavioral therapy is the gold standard treatment for anorexia (John M. Grohol, PSY.D.). Cognitive behavioral therapy entails a therapist helping the patient through the psychological side of Anorexia. The therapist begins altering the mindset, attitude, and personal opinion of the patient’s body image. The therapists help the patient develop goals for themselves and help the patient immensely in the battle with anorexia. Family therapy aids the patient and helps them understand the role they play in the family. Also, this therapy shows the family the support that they need to show in order to help their loved one. A type of Family therapy is the Maudsley Method. This method places the parent in charge of feeding their child and teaching them new, healthy eating habits. This method works most effectively if the eating disorder has not become permanent. If so, then the methods will take longer in result of their mindset and bad habits.

Anorexia Nervosa VS. Bulimia Nervosa
The two eating disorders, Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa, are similar in many ways. Both disorders cause the person to feel overweight and make them believe that they must lose weight. People with these disorders are focused on being thin, no matter how they are harming their bodies. They feel that they have gained weight after they eat a light snack. In actuality, if you have two people who weigh the same, the person with the disorder will see him or herself as much heavier and will begin to starve them-self. Although there are similarities between the disorders, there are also many differences. People with Bulimia care much more about their appearance then people with Anorexia. With Bulimia, they care about how others view them and want to appear thin. They are also much more prone to have constant mood swings. They have trouble staying focused, yet become frustrated and bored quickly. Studies have also shown that around one third of people with Bulimia are diagnosed with the multiple personality disorder. Also, with Bulimia, because of the constant vomiting, the enamel begins to wear off the Bulimic’s teeth. For Anorexic’s, their teeth are not affected, yet the inside organs are. Because of the severe malnutrition, their body begins to break down and deteriorate because of the lack of care.

Statistics in the U.S.
In the United States, close to 24 million people, of all ages, suffer from anorexia, binge eating, and bulimia. Sadly, only 10 percent of people with these eating disorders are diagnosed. Also, half of people who suffer from the disorders show signs of depression as well. In comparison between women and men, women are much more prone to these disorders. 85 to 95 percent of people who struggle with anorexia are women, and the other 5 to 15 percent are men. In addition, 50 percent of women who have anorexia develop bulimic habits. Also, when evaluating gay men, close to 14 percent are bulimic and 20 percent are anorexic. Because of the harshness and judgmental attitude of society now days, many children are suffering with self image. Close to 70 percent of 5th-12th grade girls allow magazines and ads to determine their body image; 47 percent of girls also want to lose weight because of these pictures in the magazines. Even at a younger age, 42 percent of girls in 1rst-5th grade desire to be skinnier and 81 percent of these young girls have irrational fears of gaining weight. Sadly enough, in teenagers today, more than 50 percent of girls and 35 percent of boys are participating in unhealthy eating habits such as dieting, smoking, vomiting, fasting, and taking laxatives. As these girls mature and become older, 20 percent of women who suffer from these disorders die from malnutrition, suicide, or even heart problems.