What is anorexia nervosa?
Anorexia nervosa (say “an-uh-RECK-see-uh nur-VOH-suh”) is a type of eating disorder. People who have anorexiahave an intense fear of gaining weight. They severely limit the amount of food they eat and can become dangerously thin.
Anorexia affects both the body and the mind. It may start as dieting, but it gets out of control. You think about food, dieting, and weight all the time. You have a distorted body image. Other people say you are too thin, but when you look in the mirror, you see your body as overweight.
Anorexia usually starts in the teen years. It’s much more common in females than males. Early treatment can be effective. The earlier it is treated, the better the chances someone can recover from anorexia. Untreated anorexia can lead to starvation and serious health problems, such as bone thinning (osteoporosis), kidney damage, and heart problems. Some people die from these problems. If you or someone you know has anorexia, get help right away. The longer this problem goes on, the harder it is to overcome. Over time and with treatment, a person with anorexia can feel better and stay at a healthy weight.
What causes anorexia?
Eating disorders are complex, and experts don’t really know what causes them. But they may be due to a mix of genetics, family behaviors, social factors, and personality traits. You may be more likely to have anorexia if:
Other people in your family have an eating disorder, such as anorexia or bulimia nervosa.
You have a job or do a sport that stresses body size, such as ballet, modeling, or gymnastics.
You are the type of person who tries to be perfect all the time, never feels good enough, or worries a lot.
You are dealing with stressful life events, such as divorce, moving to a new town or school, or losing a loved one.
What are the symptoms?
People who have anorexia often strongly deny that they have a problem. They don’t see or believe that they do. It’s usually up to their loved ones to get help for them. If you are worried about someone, you can look for certain signs.
People who have anorexia:
- Weigh much less than is healthy or normal.
- Are very afraid of gaining weight.
- Refuse to stay at a normal weight.
- Think they are overweighteven when they are very thin.
- Deny the seriousness of their low body weight.
- Base their self-esteem on how they view their body weight and shape.
Their lives become focused on controlling their weight. They may:
- Obsess about food, weight, and dieting.
- Strictly limit how much they eat.
- Exercise a lot, even when they are sick.
- Vomit or use laxatives or water pills (diuretics) to avoid weight gain.
How is anorexia diagnosed?
If your doctor thinks that you may have an eating disorder, he or she will compare your weight with the expected weight for someone of your height and age. He or she will also check your heart, lungs, blood pressure, skin, and hair to look for problems caused by not eating enough. You may also have blood tests or X-rays.Your doctor may ask questions about how you feel. It is common for a treatable mental health problem such as depression or anxiety to play a part in an eating disorder.
How is it treated?
All people who have anorexia need treatment. Even if you, your child, or someone else you care about has only a couple of the signs of an eating disorder, get help now. Early treatment gives the best chance of overcoming anorexia.
Treatment can help you get back to and stay at a healthy weight. It can also help you learn good eating habits and learn to feel better about yourself. Because anorexia is both a physical and emotional problem, you may work with a doctor, a dietitian, and a counselor.
If your weight has dropped too low, you will need to be treated in a hospital.
Anorexia can take a long time to overcome, and it is common to fall back into unhealthy habits. If you are having problems, don’t try to handle them on your own. Get help now.
The cause of anorexia nervosa is not fully understood. It is thought to develop from a mix of physical, emotional, and social triggers. Extreme dieting changes how the brain and metabolism work, and it stresses the body. These changes may make you more likely to develop an eating disorder.
Genetics play a big part in anorexia and bulimia. Compared with people who don’t have these disorders, people who have eating disorders are more likely to have a family history of an eating disorder, obesity, or a mood disorder (such as anxiety or depression).
A combination of certain personality traits (such as low self-confidence along with perfectionism) and cultural and social pressures can play a part in anorexia.
For some teens, anorexia may be a way of coping with stress and the challenges of the teen years. Stressful life events, such as moving, divorce, or the death of a loved one, can trigger anorexia.
Feelings and actions
Common feelings and actions that are linked to anorexia nervosa include:
- Having an intense fear of gaining weight.
- Restricting food or types of food, such as food that contains any kind of fat or sugar.
- Weighing much less than is normal or expected for your age, gender, stage of development, or physical health. (In a child or teen, losing or not gaining weight during a growth spurt is a concern.)
- Seeing your body as overweight, in spite of being underweight. This is called having a distorted body image.
- Exercising too much.
- Being secretive around food and not recognizing or wanting to talk about having a problem with eating or weight loss.
Some people who have anorexia may also have times where they binge eat and make themselves vomit or use laxatives or diuretics to lose weight. Breakdown of the enamel on the teeth is a common symptom of long-term vomiting.
Physical signs
Common physical signs of malnutrition from anorexia include:
- A low body weight.
- Constipation and slow emptying of the stomach.
- Thinning hair, dry skin, and brittle nails.
- Shrunken breasts.
- Stopping or never getting a monthly menstrual period.
- Feeling cold, with a lower-than-normal body temperature.
- Low blood pressure.
- Food rituals
People who have anorexia often form rituals associated with eating. These may include:
Having special ways of eating food, hoarding food, collecting recipes, and preparing elaborate meals for other people but not eating the meals themselves.
Spending a lot of time cutting and rearranging food on their plates to make it look as though they have eaten. They may also hide food or secretly get rid of it during meals.
Suicidal feelings
In some cases, people who have eating disorders can feel suicidal.
Warning signs of possible suicide in children and teens can include making suicide threats, being preoccupied with death or suicide, giving away belongings, withdrawing, being angry, or having failing grades.
Warning signs and possible triggers of suicide in adults can include suicide threats, alcohol or substance abuse, depression, giving away belongings, a recent job loss, or divorce.
If someone you know shows warning signs of suicide, make sure that the person is not left alone. Seek help from a mental health professional immediately.
If you are having suicidal thoughts, talk to someone about it. Call a local suicide hotline, your local health department, or the national suicide hotline (1-800-273-TALK or 1-800-273-8255), or seek help at a local hospital emergency room.
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