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Continent
1. What is anorexia nervosa
2. History
3. Emotional and behavioral
anorexia symptoms
4. Causes
5. Possible complications
6. Treatment
7. Conclusion
8. Reference





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Anorexia Nervosa
What is Anorexia Nervosa

Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder that makes people lose more weight than
is considered healthy for their age and height.Persons with this disorder may have
an intense fear of weight gain, even when they are underweight. They may diet or
exercise too much, or use other methods to lose weight. People who have
anorexia have an intense fear of gaining weight. They severely limit the amount of
food they eat and can become dangerously thin.Anorexia nervosa has the highest
death rate of any mental illness. Between 5% and 20% of people who develop the
diseases eventually die from it.
Anorexia usually starts in the teen years. It's much more common in
females than males. Early treatment can be very effective. But if not treated early,
anorexia can become a lifelong problem. 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.
Definition: A serious eating disorder primarily of young women in their teens and
early twenties that is characterized especially by a pathological fear of weight gain
leading to faulty eating patterns, malnutrition, and usually excessive weight loss.


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History

It was not until the late 19th century that anorexia nervosa was to be widely
accepted by the medical profession as a recognized condition. In 1873, Sir William
Gull, one of Queen Victorias personal physicians, published a seminal paper
which established the term anorexia nervosa and provided a number of detailed
case descriptions and treatments. In the same year, French physician Ernest-
Charles LA segue similarly published details of a number of cases in a paper
entitled De lAnorexie Histerique.


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Emotional and behavioral characteristics associated
with anorexia include:
Refusal to eat
Denial of hunger
Afraid of gaining weight
Lying about how much food has been eaten
Excessive exercise
(lack of emotion)
Social withdrawal
Irritability
Preoccupation with food
Reduced interest in sex
Depressed mood
Possible use of laxatives, diet aids or herbal products
Other symptoms of anorexia may include:



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Emotional and behavioral anorexia symptoms
Blotchy or yellow skin that is dry and covered with fine hair
Confused or slow thinking, along with poor memory or judgment
Depression
Dry mouth
Extreme sensitivity to cold (wearing several layers of clothing to stay warm)
Loss of bone strength
Wasting away of muscle and loss of body fat

Causes
The exact cause of anorexia nervosa is unknown. As with many diseases, it's
probably a combination of biological, psychological and environmental factors.
Biological. There may be genetic changes that make some people more
vulnerable to developing anorexia. However, it's not clear specifically how your
genes could cause anorexia. It may be that some people have a genetic tendency
toward perfectionism, sensitivity and perseverance, all traits associated with
anorexia. There's also some evidence that serotonin one of the brain
chemicals involved in depression may play a role in anorexia.
Psychological. Some emotional characteristics may contribute to anorexia.
Young women may have obsessive-compulsive personality traits that make it
easier to stick to strict diets and forgo food despite being hungry. They may
have an extreme drive for perfectionism, which means they may never think
they're thin enough.
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Environmental. Modern Western culture emphasizes thinness. The media are
splashed with images of thin models and actors. Success and worth are often
equated with being thin. Peer pressure may help fuel the desire to be thin,
particularly among young girls. Eating disorders are complex, and experts don't
really know what causes them. But they may be due to a mix of family history,
social factors, and personality traits. You may be more likely to have anorexia.





Possible Complications
Complications may include:
Bone weakening
Decrease in white blood cells, which leads to increased risk of infection
Low potassium levels in the blood, which may cause dangerous heart
rhythms
Severe dehydration
Severe malnutrition
Seizures due to fluid or sodium loss from repeated diarrhea or vomiting
Thyroid gland problems
Tooth decay
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Treatment
The biggest challenge in treating anorexia nervosa is helping the person recognize
that he or she has an illness. Most people with anorexia deny that they have an
eating disorder. People often enter treatment only once their condition is serious.
The goals of treatment are to restore normal body weight and eating habits. A
weight gain of 1 - 3 pounds per week is considered a safe goal.
A number of different programs have been designed to treat anorexia. Sometimes
the person can gain weight by:
Increasing social activity
Reducing the amount of physical activity
Using schedules for eating
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Many patients start with a short hospital stay and continue to follow-up with a day
treatment program.
A longer hospital stay may be needed if:
The person has lost a lot of weight (being below 70% of their ideal body
weight for their age and height). For severe and life-
threatening malnutrition, the person may need to be fed through a vein or
stomach tube.
Weight loss continues even with treatment
Medical complications, such as heart problems, confusion, or low potassium
levels develop
The person has severe depression or thinks about committing suicide
Care providers who are usually involved in these programs include:
Nurse practitioners
Physicians
Physician assistants
Nutritionists or dietitians
Mental health care providers
Treatment is often very difficult, and patients and their families must work hard.
Many therapies may be tried until the patient overcomes this disorder.
Patients may drop out of programs if they have unrealistic hopes of being "cured"
with therapy alone.
Different kinds of talk therapy are used to treat people with anorexia:
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Cognitive behavioral therapy (a type of talk therapy), group therapy, and
family therapy have all been successful.
The goal of therapy is to change patients' thoughts or behavior to encourage
them to eat in a healthier way. This kind of therapy is more useful for
treating younger patients who have not had anorexia for a long time.
If the patient is young, therapy may involve the whole family. The family is
seen as a part of the solution, instead of the cause of the eating disorder.
Support groups may also be a part of treatment. In support groups, patients
and families meet and share what they've been through.
Medications such as antidepressants, antipsychotics, and mood stabilizers may help
some anorexic patients when given as part of a complete treatment program.
Examples include:
Antidepressants, especially selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)
Olanzapine (Zyprexa, Xydis) or other antipsychotics
These medicines can help treat depression or anxiety.
Although these drugs may help, no medication has been proven to decrease the
desire to lose weights
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Conclusion
Once established, anorexia nervosa can seriously affect a person's life. Sometimes
the outcome is a truly
Chronic illness or even, rarely, death. However, this disorder ruined the potentially
enjoyable years.
In conclusion, anorexia nervosa is a self-destructive eating habit, but it must be
identified and treated in
Different ways. Eating disorders are battles that are fought all around. Treating
them is a difficult task,
But not an impossible one. There may be long-lasting complications including
short stature, infertility,








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Reference
www.wikipedia.org
www.webmd.com
www.mayoclinic.com
www.nlm.nih.gov