Running Head: ANOREXIA NERVOSA 1

Anorexia Nervosa

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Background

Anorexia disorder is a type of eating disorder where people who are suffering from it

prefer to have low weight due to eating insufficient food that cannot be able to meet their daily

food requirements (Mehler, 2015). By having insufficient daily food requirements, people

suffering from the eating disorder can also have distorted body images as they normally think

that they are fat even if they have low Body Mass index (BMI). The victim of anorexia nervosa

may be suffering from malnutrition due to starvation and this may affect every organ of the body

that requires nutrients to function properly. Additionally, the disorder is a life threatening

condition and if not controlled immediately, can lead to further health problems for the person.

The disorder does not normally affect men and women but it is common in young people who

are in their teenage hood. While suffering from the disorder the person may not be aware of the

degree of the condition, hence, should be given adequate nutritional advice.

Types of Anorexia Nervosa

The major types of anorexia include binge and purge type; and restrictive type. Binge and

purge refers to a situation where a person after consuming his/her food will often purge it. The

person may have a tendency of doing excessive exercise so as to be able to purge food. This is

due to the reason that he/she does not want to gain weight. Restrictive type of anorexia nervosa is

where the individual suffering from the disorder is taken as highly disciplined where they restrict

the amount of food they consume, calories and often fat intake or foods that contains sugar. The

amount of calories that they consume is below Recommended Daily Intake and will lead to

weight loss as the body will be using fat and glycogen stores in the body to perform its functions.

Though restrictive and binge and purge eating disorders occurs as different types they have
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common symptoms to people who are having the disorder, for example, fear of gaining weight

and abnormal eating habits that are not nutritionally advisable for one who wants to have healthy

body (Kaye, 2009)

Causes of Anorexia Nervosa

Anorexia nervosa is highly inheritable and can be due to genetics. The predisposition to

environmental factors and biological factors can also be characterized as leading causes of

anorexia. The causes of the disorder are much serious compared to excessive dieting. There is

high relationship between the eating disorder and genetics as it considered that a child is 12 times

most likely to develop the condition when it was present in one of the parents.

Anorexia nervosa can also be due to environmental factors such as the peer pressure

among friends in colleges and schools can force someone to start bad eating habits leading to the

disorder. Secondly, the disorder can result due to a person being in a certain profession that

requires her to be thin, for example being a model. The effects of media and cultures that see thin

people as the ideal stereotypes can force a person to start practicing bad habits in order to have

low weight and thin body shape. This is because they want to be considered at the same table as

to those who are thin. Lastly, the disorder may develop in people who have obstetric

complications and gastrointestinal disorders as they control the amount of food they take

(Papadoupoulous, 2009)

Signs and symptoms

Anorexia symptoms are ultimately attempts made to put up with emotions that are

unimaginable through obtaining perfectionism and control in the amount of food that is

consumed daily. For a person with anorexia nervosa, the recognition of self-worth normally
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takes center stage in order to enable a person to have his/her goal of having thin

body/maintaining weight. The signs of the disorder may emotional and behavioral or physical.

Dramatic body weight- if the person suffering from anorexia is below 18years, his/her

weight will be below the expended for the age. Similarly, when the person is over 18years the

person will be having low Body Mass Index. This is whereby when his/her weight is measured in

kilograms and is divided by the height in meters square, it below the expected when compared in

BMI Chart.

The person has a tendency of missing meals, consuming fewer foods or avoiding eating

certain kinds of foods. The person may be having fear of fattening and wants to keep and

maintain his/her weight/image which in turn can be very impact negatively on functioning of the

body organs. Furth more the person might have a belief that he is fat when he/she is healthy.

The anorexic people can utilize appetite suppressants so as to reduce hunger. Examples of

appetite suppressants that have been used over the years include green tea, saffron extract,

grapefruit essential oil, spicy foods (foods that contain black paper, cinnamon or ginger) and

foods that are rich in fiber. These kinds of foods can be used to promote fullness of the belly

making the person not to feel pangs of hunger. The appetite suppressants tend to trick the brain

to think that the belly is full through promoting the release of serotonin. Hence, he/she cannot

meet daily food requirement leading to weight loss.

In women, the menstruation cycle can cease to exist as the body’s natural functions are

affected when the person cannot meet her daily nutrient intake. This phenomenon can occur in

women who have not reached menopause or in young girls.

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The disorder may make a person to start dressing in layers so as to be able to hide his/her

weight or stay warm. The person can also start to make commends of feeling fat or having

excessive but in real sense he/she can be underweight due to the reason being he/she does not

meet daily food requirements. Constipation, abdominal pains , lethargy may result, also the

person may be cold intolerance as there is no enough fat that is covering the skin to prevent heat

loss.

The person can deny that he/she is not feeling hungry as in certain cases he/she might

have used appetite suppressants that are known to be reducing the amount of food eaten. At the

same time, the person can cook foods to others minus eating the food that she has prepared.

He/she can make excuses to avoid mealtimes.

Anorexia nervosa can lead a person to have a desire of burning the calories that he/she

has taken from the consumed food so as to be able to keep his/her low weight. Similarly, the

person can be too concerned about eating in public places and can withdraw from his or her

friends and be more isolated so as to ensure that the friends cannot be aware of what is going on.

Other emotional symptoms may include: the person feel ineffective, has strong need to

control the amount of food he/she takes or control his weight, the person faces disturbances

concerning his/her shape and can be showing inflexible thinking where the person cannot know

the reason of having enough food intake in order to be able to meet daily nutritional

requirements.

Physical Symptoms

Impaired immunity and poor wound- because the person does not meet his/her daily

nutritional requirements the body immune system is impaired and cannot function efficiently.
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Additionally, various organs in the body cannot have various nutrients from diet which they are

supposed to utilize in carrying out their functions. In case the person suffers an injury, the wound

will heal slowly. The impaired immunity can also lead to swelling of the feet, muscle

weaknesses, yellow skin.

Other physical symptoms of anorexia nervosa include, fine hair in the body, there can be

swelling around the area of the salivary gland (which can arise due to impaired immunity and

organ functions) dry skin and nails, dental problems, dizziness, fainting, feeling cold due to fat

loss in the body hence no heat retention and lastly, the person can have concentration difficulties

in school.

Diagnostic Criteria

The DSM- 5 is the criteria used for diagnosing anorexia nervosa disorder in people. It

involves first, restricting the energy intake which is related with low Body Metabolic index and

there is also reduction of general health of the person. Secondly, there is fear of the victim

gaining weight or being fat as he/she prefers to maintain her current weight. Lastly, the person

can be disturbed psychologically concerning his body shape or weight. The person lives in denial

of the degree of current low body weight. Although all of the above criteria are not met, the

seriousness of the disorder may still be there. There are situations that the individuals might be

anorexic but are not underweight although they have lost significant weight when they have not

been meeting their daily food requirement (Eddy,2008)

Health Consequences of Anorexia Nervosa

Through having insufficient food intake, the person’s body is made to slow down all the

process that normally happens in the body, such as respiration, digestion, blood circulation, etc.
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The slowing down of this process will lead to serious medical effects in the long run. The body is

always resilient in coping with stress and the person who is having the disorder risks his or life.

Additionally, electrolyte imbalance in the body can also lead to cardiac arrests and death.

Furthermore, due to anorexia nervosa the person may have kidney problems, weakened immune

functions, brain functioning problems, improper functioning of the heart, fertility problems

which occurs in women due to fluctuation of menstrual cycle caused by the disorder; and the

person risks having osteoporosis which a bone problem for in children who cannot meet their

daily calcium intake in their diet (Misra, 2014)

Treatment of Anorexia Nervosa

For a person suffering from disorder it is very essential to seek treatment from a qualified

disorder specialist. This wills involve a team of therapist, physician and nutritionist who will

work together in ensuring that various phases of treatment are achieved so that the condition is

corrected immediately. The three phases of treatment will include

Medical- this involves the highest prioritized area in the treatment of the disorder where

various health problems that may have arisen from the disorder are corrected through appropriate

medication. The medical problems may include electrolyte imbalances in the body, malnutrition,

amenorrhea and unstable heartbeat.

Nutritional phase: this second phase involves advising the person appropriately so that

he/she can be able to meet his/her Recommended Daily Intake of all the required nutrients. There

should be a good meal plan designed to meet the person’s needs. Also, the person should receive

nutritional education that will be important for him/her to change the negative eating habits and

adopt positive ones so that he/she can have healthy life.

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Therapy: the goal of this phase is to know all the underlying causes that may have led to

the anorexia nervosa. The person will have to be honest and open up about the situations that

may have led to the disorder so that they can be addressed appropriately. This will enable him or

her to learn and acquire healthier copying skills and further has ways of dealing with negative

emotions when handling food (Lipsman, 2013)

Conclusion

Anorexia nervosa is one of the most dangerous eating disorders that have affected the

lives of many people all over the world. It may exist differently in people either as binge and

purge or restrictive type but it has nearly same symptoms and has similar impacts on the victims.

For the people suffering the disorder and have similar symptoms above, it is recommended that

they get prompt treatment and get appropriate nutritional advise so that the problem does not re-

occur.

References

Eddy, K. T., Dorer, D. J., Franko, D. L., Tahilani, K., Thompson-Brenner, H., & Herzog, D. B.

(2008). Diagnostic crossover in anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa: implications for DSM-V. American

Journal of Psychiatry, 165(2), 245-250.

Kaye, W. H., Fudge, J. L., & Paulus, M. (2009). New insights into symptoms and neurocircuit

function of anorexia nervosa. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 10(8), 573.

Lipsman, N., Woodside, D. B., Giacobbe, P., Hamani, C., Carter, J. C., Norwood, S. J., ... &

Smith, G. S. (2013). Subcallosal cingulate deep brain stimulation for treatment-refractory anorexia

nervosa: a phase 1 pilot trial. The Lancet, 381(9875), 1361-1370.

Mehler, P. S., & Brown, C. (2015). Anorexia nervosa–medical complications. Journal of eating

disorders, 3(1), 11.

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Misra, M., & Klibanski, A. (2014). Anorexia nervosa and bone. Journal of Endocrinology, 221(3),

R163-R176.

Papadopoulos, F. C., Ekbom, A., Brandt, L., & Ekselius, L. (2009). Excess mortality, causes of

death and prognostic factors in anorexia nervosa. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 194(1), 10-17.