What Is Anorexia Nervosa?
Anorexia nervosa, also called anorexia, is an eating disorder that causes a distorted perception of one’s body shape and a constant fear of gaining weight. While some individuals have a low body weight, many people with anorexia are not clinically underweight. People with anorexia nervosa have an unhealthy fixation on controlling their body weight and shape, and without proper treatment, it can be life-threatening.
In order to prevent weight gain, people with anorexia often engage in harmful practices, such as self-induced vomiting and misusing laxatives. They may also engage in excessive exercise routines to lose weight.
Anorexia can affect various spheres of your life, including health, education, employment, and relationships with family and friends. However, with professional help and support, individuals can regain their self-esteem, adopt healthier eating habits, and prevent potential complications.
Signs and Symptoms of Anorexia Nervosa
People with anorexia experience physical, emotional, and behavioural symptoms. Signs of anorexia can be difficult to notice because individuals often make efforts to disguise their eating habits and weight loss.
Physical signs and symptoms of anorexia include the following:
- Extreme weight loss
- Frequent instances of fatigue, dizziness, or fainting
- Hair loss or thinning
- Absence of menstruation (amenorrhea)
- Low tolerance for cold weather
- Irregular heartbeat
- Tooth erosion or enamel damage
Emotional and behavioural signs and symptoms of anorexia include:
- Restricting food intake through strict dietary regimes and fasting
- Compulsive exercising
- Low self-esteem
- Repeated measuring, weighing, and checking one's body mass index
- Frequently checking the mirror for potential flaws
What Causes Anorexia Nervosa?
Although excessive anxiety about one’s body weight is the main characteristic associated with anorexia, it may not be the actual cause. Anorexia nervosa is a complex mental health condition, and experts still cannot specify the cause of it. However, certain biological, environmental, and psychological factors can increase the risk of developing anorexia.
Biological Factors
Although medical experts haven’t yet discovered the specific genes involved in developing an eating disorder like anorexia, some genetic changes can put individuals at a higher risk. The following groups of people have higher chances of developing anorexia:
- People with a family history of depression and other mental health challenges
- People with a family history of an eating disorder
Environmental Factors
In modern society, physical beauty is perceived as a symbol of discipline, competence, and success. Western cultural norms usually associate physical beauty with thinness and stigmatise weight gain as a personal failure. These values are reinforced through the media, where celebrities are praised for their physical appearance and scrutinised for minor imperfections.
Messages like these can fuel a desire to be thin. Teenage girls and young adults are particularly vulnerable to peer pressure and the pressure of the media, which can lead to mental health challenges.
Psychological Factors
Individuals with a tendency toward obsessive-compulsive behaviours are at an increased risk of developing eating disorders. Further factors believed to be linked to anorexia nervosa include the following:
- Significant exposure to stress
- Trauma-related to physical or sexual abuse
- Restraint of emotions
- Excessive anxiety
- Fear of being overweight
- Childhood trauma
With proactive support, individuals can recover from an eating disorder and mental health challenges. At Leaf Complex Care, we provide person-centred care to individuals with anorexia in their recovery journey.
How Is Anorexia Nervosa Diagnosed?
Early diagnosis and humanised treatment enable positive outcomes for people experiencing anorexia. The assessment process involves questions about the patient’s eating habits, body weight, mental health and physical health. Your doctor may order certain tests to rule out the possibility of other conditions with similar physical signs.
This includes the following examinations:
- Urine tests
- Blood tests (such as a complete blood count and coagulation tests)
- Imaging tests (such as CT scans and bone density scans)
- An electrocardiogram
If your GP thinks you have anorexia, they will refer you to a specialist who can provide you with further support and a detailed assessment.
Difference Between Anorexia and Bulimia
Anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa are eating disorders that share some similar signs and symptoms, such as a distorted perception of your body shape and an intense fear of gaining weight. However, medical experts recognise them as separate mental health conditions with certain unique features.
Anorexia is typically characterised by excessive exercising and extreme food intake restrictions. On the other hand, bulimia involves recurrent episodes of eating large amounts of food (also known as binge eating) followed by purging, such as induced vomiting, fasting, or misusing laxatives.
How Is Anorexia Treated?
Treatment for anorexia is comprehensive and usually involves a team of experienced specialists, including doctors, mental health professionals, and dietitians. Adequate nutrition therapy and healing strategies can help individuals maintain a healthy weight and avoid complications.
Treatment for Adults
Contrary to common misconception, people can struggle with anorexia after adolescence and in adulthood. Adults with anorexia can benefit from several types of talk therapy, including cognitive behavioural therapy, specialist supportive clinical management, focal psychodynamic therapy, and nutrition therapy. These strategies can improve an individual’s relationship with food and their overall mental and physical health.
Treatment for Children
Treatment for children and adolescents with anorexia depends on the person’s age, symptoms, and severity of their health condition. It usually consists of individual therapy and family therapy with the option of adolescent-centred strategies for teenagers. The care team must include the child’s healthcare provider and a nutritionist. Parents are actively involved in the whole process.
Anorexia Therapy
Through a wide range of talk therapy methods, specialist treatment helps the individual understand the root cause. Person-centred anorexia therapy helps people change their eating habits in a dignified way. Family members and other caregivers can be involved in the process with the individual’s consent.
Individual Therapy
Individual or one-on-one therapy for anorexia involves CBT, especially CBT-E (enhanced cognitive behavioural therapy) methods. This type of treatment supports recovery by encouraging healthy eating patterns. Furthermore, individual therapy can change a person’s distorted beliefs about their weight and improve well-being.
Group Therapy
Group treatment allows individuals to share their experiences and gain valuable insight from other people with anorexia. Under the supervision of an experienced specialist, therapeutic groups can relieve the feeling of isolation and emotional distress.
Hospitalisation
Hospitalisation is the last resort for complications of anorexia, such as prolonged refusal to eat, severe malnutrition and dehydration. In the most severe cases, individuals may require feeding through a nasogastric tube and monitoring of vital signs. Some clinics offer residential programs for people with eating disorders, which may be preferable to full hospitalisation.
Can Anorexia Nervosa Be Prevented?
Early diagnosis and treatment can help individuals with this mental health challenge regain well-being. Furthermore, parents encouraging healthy eating patterns and attitudes about body image can help promote self-esteem in children. In certain circumstances, unhealthy eating patterns can be resolved before an individual develops an eating disorder.
Health Risks of Anorexia
Anorexia nervosa puts people at risk of malnutrition and starvation, which can affect various organ systems. Without adequate treatment, this eating disorder can severely impact a person’s mental and physical health. Individuals with anorexia nervosa are at risk of experiencing the following complications:
- Loss of muscle and bone mass
- Liver and kidney damage
- Delayed physical growth during puberty
- Absence of menstruation and fertility problems
- Extremely low blood sugar
Living with Anorexia Nervosa
Living with anorexia nervosa can be a scary and isolating experience. Many individuals are hesitant to share their struggles with people around them. However, it is crucial to reach out to a loved one and your healthcare provider.
People with an anorexia diagnosis can take various measures to maintain a healthier lifestyle and prevent complications, such as:
- Getting quality sleep
- Avoid alcohol or drug abuse
- Reaching out to family and friends for support
- Taking prescribed medication and paying regular visits to your therapist
- Join a support group for people with eating disorders
Anorexia Support with Leaf Complex Care
At Leaf Complex Care, we aim to reshape the approach to mental health support and deliver humanised, person-centred care services to people of all ages. Our impact-driven support workers take measures to remove the stigma around eating disorders and provide a comfortable environment for individuals.
Our support workers follow carefully tailored support plans and strategies for each person they serve. They offer respectful and dignified care services in the comfort of your own home, allowing you to stay close to your loved ones.
If you need a trusted care provider for a loved one, Leaf Complex Care is the right choice for you. We deliver CQC-regulated home support services in Bristol, South East, Somerset and the Midlands.
Contact us, and we will create a personalised care plan catered to your needs.
