What is Anorexia Nervosa?
This disorder affects 0.9-4% of women and around 0.3% of men worldwide, often starting in adolescence or early adulthood. It has the highest mortality rate of any psychiatric disorder due to medical complications and suicide. Early intervention is critical.
Symptoms
Individuals with anorexia go to extremes in their diet – severely limiting calorie intake by avoiding fats and carbohydrates. They may count calories obsessively and exercise excessively to burn calories. Other behaviours like purging, laxative use, fasting and fad dieting are also common.
Despite being underweight, people with anorexia still feel their body weight or shape is unacceptable. They are intensely afraid of gaining weight and have a distorted self-image. This distorted body image persists even when they become emaciated.
Warning signs include dramatic weight loss, obsession with calories, frequently weighing oneself, sensitivity to feeling ‘fat’, making excuses to avoid meals, soft hair growth on the body, cessation of menstrual periods and irritability.
Treatments
Getting patients to a healthy weight via a high-calorie diet and stopping compensatory behaviours are primary interventions. Underlying psychological issues such as low self-esteem, perfectionism, and depression are also addressed via counselling and CBT. Medications may help curb obsessive thoughts and treat co-occurring conditions.
Recovery is a long process with high relapse potential. However, with early, patient-sensitive interventions and trauma counselling, individuals with anorexia can achieve nutritional rehabilitation and adopt healthy attitudes towards food and body image.