Anorexia
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It was 6
months ago when I realized my daughter, Jen, had an eating disorder. Jen has
always been a picky eater. But I started to see that she moved food around her
plate. And she never ate very much. She exercised all the time — even when she
was sick. And she was sick a lot. She became very skinny and pale. Her hair was
thinning. Jen was moody and seemed sad — I thought that's what teens act like.
But once I put the signs together, I talked to Jen about the disorder, anorexia.
She denied the problem. But I knew she needed help. I took her to our doctor,
and she asked me to put Jen in the hospital. It's been a tough road since then —
for all of us. But Jen is back home now. She is still seeing her doctors, and
may need help for some time. But she is doing much better
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Anorexia (a-neh-RECK-see ah) nervosa, typically called anorexia, is a type of
eating disorder that mainly affects girls and young women. A person with this
disorder has an intense fear of gaining weight and limits the food she eats.
She
- has a low body weight
- refuses to keep a normal body weight
- is extremely afraid of becoming fat
- believes she is fat even when she's very thin
- misses three (menstrual) periods in a row—for girls/women who have started
having their periods.
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Anorexia is more than just a problem with food. It's a way of using food or
starving oneself to feel more in control of her life and to ease tension, anger,
and anxiety. While there is no single known cause of anorexia, several things
may contribute to the development of the disorder:
- Biology. Several biological factors, including genetics
and other related hormones, may contribute in the onset the disorder.
- Culture. Some cultures in the U.S. have an ideal of extreme
thinness. Women may define themselves on how beautiful they are.
- Personal feelings. Someone with anorexia may feel badly
about herself, feel helpless, and hate the way she looks. She has unrealistic
expectations of herself and strives for perfection. She feels worthless,
despite achievements and perceives a social pressure to be thin.
- Stressful events or life changes. Things like starting
a new school or job or being teased to traumatic events like rape can lead
to the onset of anorexia.
- Families. People with a mother or sister with anorexia
are more likely to develop the disorder. Parents who think appearance is
very important, diet themselves, and criticize their children's bodies are
more likely to have a child with anorexia.
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A person with anorexia will have many of these signs:
- Looks a lot thinner
- Uses extreme measures to lose weight
- makes herself throw up
- takes pills to urinate or have a bowel movement (BM)
- takes diet pills
- doesn’t eat or follows a strict diet
- exercises a lot
- weighs food and counts calories
- moves food around the plate; doesn't eat it
- Has a distorted body image
- thinks she's fat when she's too thin
- wears baggy clothes to hide appearance
- fears gaining weight
- weighs herself many times a day
- Acts differently
- talks about weight and food all the time
- won't eat in front of others
- acts moody or depressed
- doesn't socialize
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The body doesn't get the energy from foods that it needs, so it slows down.
Look at the picture to find out how anorexia affects your health.
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Yes. People with this disorder can get better. The treatment depends on what
the person needs. The person must get back to a healthy weight. Many times,
eating disorders happen with other problems, like depression and anxiety problems.
These problems are treated along with the anorexia and may involve medicines
that help reduce feelings of depression and anxiety.
With outpatient care, the patient goes to the hospital during the day for
treatment, but lives at home. Sometimes, the patient goes to a hospital and
stays there for treatment. Different types of health care providers, like
doctors, nutritionists, and therapists, will help the patient get better. These
providers will help the patient regain the weight, improve physical health and
nutrition, learn healthy eating patterns, and cope with thoughts and feelings
related to the disorder. After leaving the hospital, the patient continues to
get help from her providers. Individual counseling can also help someone with
anorexia. Counseling may involve the whole family too, especially if the patient
is young. Support groups may also be a part of treatment. Support groups help
patients and families talk about their experiences and help each other get
better.
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It depends. Women who have fully recovered from anorexia have a better chance
of getting pregnant. While a woman has active anorexia, she does not get her
usual period and doesn't normally ovulate, so it would be harder to get
pregnant. However, she may get pregnant as she regains weight because her
reproductive system is getting back to normal. After they gain back some weight,
some women may skip or miss their periods, which can cause problems getting
pregnant. If this happens, a woman should see her doctor.
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If a woman with active anorexia gets pregnant, the baby and mother can be affected.
The baby is more likely to be born at a low weight and born early. The mother
is more likely to have a miscarriage, deliver by C-section, and have depression
after the baby is born.
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National Institute of
Mental Health (NIMH), NIH, HHS
Weight-control
Information Network (WIN), NIDDK, NIH, HHS
Academy for Eating Disorders
(AED)
Harvard Eating Disorders Center
(HEDC)
National Association of Anorexia
Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD)
National
Eating Disorders Association (NEDA)
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