Anorexia Nervosa is an eating disorder that affects a person emotionally and physically. This is a condition where the people start developing an extreme fear of attaining weight; they believe they are overweight even when they are already underweight or have average weight. The cases of such disorders are increasing day by day around the world. Over 9% of cases have been found till now, regardless of people of any age, gender, colour, or locality. Pregnant women and people in the age of puberty have a higher probability of developing the symptoms of anorexia. You must have understood the actual definition of this eating disorder by reading the above brief about what is anorexia. Moving ahead, let’s discuss its signs and symptoms, causes, along with remedies.
Signs and Symptoms of Anorexia
Anorexia is a severe disorder developed among individuals. It can affect them physically, emotionally and behaviorally. In some cases, it can restrict people from consuming food rich in nutrients. This makes them grow weak. A primary anorexia nervosa symptom is the delusion that being overweight results in worry and various other health problems that negatively impact an individual’s quality of life. The mental pressure and psychological factors in some situations lead to weight gain.
Based on a few studies, it has been stated that this condition can be fatal; also anorexia has been found to be the condition with the highest death rate of any mental health conditions. That’s the reason, it can lead to long-term health complications. If you feel anything inappropriate regarding your weight, do ensure to visit a doctor. Some common anorexia symptoms are :
- Self-starvation to obtain a particular body size can reduce the heart rate and energy.
- Anorexia leads to low self-esteem of a person as they develop a feeling of comparison with others.
- Patients sometimes feel tired, sluggish and faint due to indulgence in heavy exercises aimed to reduce weight and burn calories.
- An empty stomach can cause mental stress, mood swings, and often anxiety regarding self-body refusal.
- Absence or irregular menstruation occurs among women, causing significant disturbance to hormones.
- Lack of consumption of food leads to vomiting, including multiple physical symptoms like low blood pressure, anaemia, weak muscles, joint swelling, and fracture.
Possible Causes Behind Anorexia
Anorexia symptoms lead to the fear of body shaming and prohibit people from going to public gatherings. Anorexia is a common reason found among people with too much drug (medication) consumption. It leads to chemical changes in the brain, which can develop the feeling of anorexia. The significant causes of anorexia are:
- Limited social support or lack of communication can cause this disease.
- Societal pressure and mindset of people to think slim people look more aesthetic.
- It can be genetic from one generation to another, especially in cases of direct relation.
- Social media presents a new definition of the perfect body shape instead of accepting the body.
- Demand for professionals like players or actors has more chances of developing anorexia.
- Mental stress, past inappropriate experiences or other psychological factors lead to signs of anorexia.
What is Anorexia Treatment?
The anorexia symptoms are majorly responsible for significant loss of body weight. The abrupt loss of weight often leads to regular headaches, dry skin or hair and yellowish nails. Anorexia needs to be cured both physically and psychologically. Some anorexia treatment measures followed are:
Physical Treatment
- Consult a dietitian regarding the diet plan and required calorie intake to maintain body weight.
- Regular monitoring of health to check organ functioning, electrolyte levels, and heart rate.
- Different medications like antidepressants and antipsychotics can help manage the obsessive thinking of weight gain.
- Sometimes, anorexia nervosa symptoms can be life-threatening by causing malnutrition and dehydration. In such cases, the patient needs to be immediately hospitalised.
Therapies
- Different psychological therapies are available to reduce the symptoms of this condition.
- Yoga and meditation increase mindfulness by reducing stress and accepting the body.
- Cognitive behavioural, family-based, dialectical behaviour and interpersonal therapy are some standard therapies for people to overcome past trauma and conflicts.
Social Support
- Emotional support and advice from peers can be highly beneficial.
- Communities with art and music therapies provide emotional support.
- Anorexia nervosa symptoms cause isolation. Therefore, publicly addressing is required to improve interpersonal issues.
- Different communities encouraging people to overcome their struggles are available for recovery.
Conclusion
Hope you got a clear picture of understanding what is anorexia nervosa and which different treatment remedies are available to heal from anorexia nervosa symptoms. A long-term plan needs to be followed, along with lifestyle changes, to recover from this disease. It may involve family counselling to create a supportive and healthy environment. Most people recover by therapy and medications. However, some significant cases do require people to stay in rehabilitation centres for a while.
