Treating Anorexia Nervosa 

Anorexia nervosa is  a dangerous  and potentially deadly disorder that causes afflicted individuals to starve themselves in misguided attempts to achieve  their distorted image  of “thinness”. 

The disorder  is marked by extreme weight loss and an unwillingness to maintain a level that health professionals would consider to be even minimally normal for the person’s age, gender, and height. Though it primarily affects teenage girls and young women, anorexia can also occur  in men  and boys. 

Individuals who suffer from  anorexia become fixated on body shape and weight, and regardless of how emaciated they become, they remain convinced  that they are “fat.” Though they will often attempt to hide the effects of their disorder by withdrawing from friends  and family, or by wearing baggy clothing, they actually view their self-starvation  as a successful imposition  of self-discipline –  and any weight gains as personal failures. 

Anorexic individuals employ a variety of techniques to control their weight. The following are four of  the most common measures anorexics take to avoid gaining even the slightest bit  of weight: 

• Refusing  to eat foods that they believe to  be high in calories or fat. 
• Restricting their diet to small amounts of a select number of low-calorie foods. 
• Bingeing (eating a large amount  of food  in a short period of time), then immediately purging (expelling  the food from their bodies by taking laxatives  or forcing themselves to vomit). 
• Refusing to eat in the presence of others (to avoid calling attention to their unhealthy eating habits). 

Though  anorexia first manifests itself as a mental disorder, the malnutrition that results from the condition can inflict significant damage on sufferers’ physical  and emotional health. The following  are among  the possible effects of anorexia: 

• Cardiac disease  –The most common cause  of death in individuals who  are suffering from severe cases  of anorexia. 
• Bradycardia  – A dangerous slowing  of the heart rate that results from self-starvation. 
• Brain Damage  – Brain scans  of anorexic patients have noted changes in brain structure as well as abnormal activity in parts of  the brain. Some  of this damage is reversible once an individual resumes a  healthy diet, but certain impairments appear to be permanent. 
• Dehydration  – Can lead to kidney failure, heart failure, seizure, brain damage  and death. 
• Depression  – Physical weakening can exacerbate the body dissatisfaction and self-loathing that  are often at  the core  of anorexia cases. Suicide is believed  to be responsible  for as many as 50 percent  of all anorexia-related deaths. 
• Hyponatremia  –  The opposite of dehydration, drinking too much water can cause fluid in the lungs, brain swelling, nausea, vomiting, confusion,  and death. 
• Muscle Atrophy  – A body  that is deprived of essential nutrients will begin feeding on itself, depleting muscle mass (including heart tissue)  in the process.

Though anorexia nervosa can cause severe – even deadly – damage to a person’s physical, mental, and emotional well-being,  the good news about this disease is that,  with proper treatment, recovery is possible. If you suspect that someone you know is struggling with anorexia, do not hesitate to help them get the  treatment that they so desperately need