An eating disorder is a mental disorder defined by abnormal eating habits that negatively affect a person’s physical and mental health. There are many types of eating disorders. Such as Binge eating disorder, Anorexia nervosa, Bulimia nervosa, Pica, Rumination syndrome, etc. Mainly I’ll talk about Anorexia nervosa. But I’ll just give a little bit of information about other disorders.
Binge eating disorder: People with this disorder eat a large amount in a short period of time.
Bulimia nervosa: Where people eat a lot and then try to rid themselves of the food.
Pica: People with this disorder eat non-food items.
Anorexia Nervosa:
Anorexia nervosa is a serious disorder in eating behavior characterized by restrictive eating and intense fear of gaining weight. In this disorder, people are afraid of gaining weight. So they intake a low amount of food. It’s an obsession with weight, body shape and other people’s perception of their appearance. People with anorexia try to remove calories from their bodies using harmful techniques such as induced vomiting laxative abuse, excessive exercise. It is common in young women between the age of 14 and 25.
Physical effects of anorexia:
> Dry or yellowing skin.
>Feeling cold easily.
>Irregular heartbeat, which can increase your risk of having a heart attack.
>Difficulty with concentration and memory.
>Development of osteoporosis and memory.
>Irregular or no menstrual periods.
Causes of Anorexia:
>The effects of the thinness culture in media that constantly reinforce thin people as the ideal stereotype.
>Professions and carriers that promote being thin and weight loss, such as ballet and modeling.
>Family and childhood traumas; childhood sexual abuse, severe trauma.
Many with anorexia nervosa aren’t aware that they have it. They go on with their lives, but things get worse when they start to feel, lonely, isolated, scared of eating and even start avoiding uncomfortable situations.
Treatment:
For patients with severe cases of anorexia treatment initially focuses on weight restoration and medical and psychiatric stabilization. The first line of treatment is usually individual cognitive-behavioral therapy. Your therapist can teach you to manage your feeling and help you develop new ways of thinking and behaving around food. The level of care for anorexia ranges from simple to intensive outpatient support to part-time and full-time inpatient programs housed within a hospital, clinic, or eating disorder treatment center.
It’s a life-threatening disorder. So we all should be careful about anorexia nervosa. We shouldn’t take this disorder casually. And help our friends and family with it.
