ANOREXIA NERVOSA
WHAT IS ANOREXIA NERVOSA?
Anorexia nervosa is a psychiatric illness that describes an eating
disorder characterized by extremely low body weight and body image
distortion with an obsessive fear of gaining weight.
The term anorexia is of Greek origin: OREXIS meaning a lack of
desire to eat.
Anorexia nervosa is frequently shortened to "anorexia" in the popular
media. This is technically incorrect, as the term "anorexia" used
separately refers to the medical symptom of reduced appetite (which
therefore is distinguishable from anorexia nervosa in being nonpsychiatric).
CAUSES
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Social influences
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Occupational goals
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Genetic or family history
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Psychological factor
Categories of anorectics
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There are two categories of anorectics:
Anorexics
Anorexic people starve themselves and eat very little.
Example :Eating simply half a cracker for their meals.
Bulimics
Bulimic people overeat but they then force themselves to throw up what they
have eaten. They can eat almost everything in their cabinets and then force
themselves to throw up so they do not gain weight. Some bulimics eat very
normally but after each time they eat, they will go to the toilets and throw up.
Behaviors and Symptoms of
Anorexic's
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Self Starvation
Restricting and dieting
Obsession with body weight, physical appearance, and body image
Refusal to eat
Fear of Food
Excessive facial and body hair (growing hair in weird places ie: on the lower
back, knuckles etc…)
Compulsive exercise
Abnormal weight loss
Gaunt-like features (example: cheeks sinking in due to weight loss)
Sensitivity to the cold
Absent or irregular menstruation
Loss of consciousness (fainting)
Hair loss
Behaviors and Symptoms of
Bulimic's
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Preoccupation with food
Obsession with body weight, physical appearance, and body image
Bingeing on large amounts of food- consuming sometimes 3000 calories or more in
one sitting (usually in secret)
Frequent trips to the bathroom after meals
Vomiting after bingeing
Abuse of laxatives, diuretics, diet pills
Ingesting drugs to induce vomiting (ex: using Ipecac)
Absent or irregular menstruation
Compulsive exercise
Vomit smell on breath
Swollen salivary glands
Swollen Cheeks
Broken blood vessels in the eyes
Treatments
Anorexia
The treatment of anorexia has three main phases:
 Restore weight loss
 Treat psychological issues such as depression, self-esteem, and interpersonal conflicts
 Achieve long-term recovery and remission
The use of anti-depressants for treating anorexia should be considered only after weight
gain has been established.
Bulimia
The main goal in the treatment of bulimia is to eliminate binging and purging
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Establish healthy and consistent eating habits, i.e. three meals a day at regular times
Encourage healthy, not excessive, exercise
Treat psychological issues such as mood or anxiety disorders