Is it Anorexia?
Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder where the person severely cuts down on the amount of food they eat, resulting in dramatic weight loss. In addition excessive exercise, purging (forced vomiting) laxatives, enemas and diuretics can be used to decrease weight.
Most often the person has an intense fear of becoming fat and has a distorted view of their body image even if they are already underweight. They will typically deny there is a problem even when it is evident to all that it is serious. They can undergo quite sudden personality and mood swings, leaving parents wondering where their lovely daughter or son has gone as they seem possessed by a demon.
Probably the biggest single symptom of anorexia is anxiety around food. This can manifest itself by the person skipping meals, cutting out previously eaten food types and being secretive about eating or by serious conflict at meal times.
Food has become the enemy, to be avoided at all costs.
Click here for a quick questionnaire which will help indicate if there is a problem.
Distinguishing between teenage behaviour and food fads and the beginnings of an eating disorder can often be very difficult as the signs and symptoms of an eating disorder may not always be apparent. People with anorexia often go to great lengths to disguise their thinness or other physical problems and their disordered eating behaviour.
In addition to the physical symptoms their behaviour is typically irrational and they are difficult to live with. When challenged about food the response is often very confrontational and aggressive. It is not unusual to have inappropriate, obstinate and controlling behaviour. Anxiety attacks and depressive episodes that end in the person isolating themselves from family and friends can become a regular feature.
If you are concerned a loved one may have anorexia, watch out for these red flags.
Behavioural Indicators
- Refusal to eat
- Skipping meals
- Secrecy around food
- Cutting out the consumption of all perceived "unhealthy" foods such as soft drinks, chocolate and sweet foods
- Making excuses for not eating
- Eating only a few certain "safe" foods, usually those low in fat and calories
- Adopting rigid meal or eating rituals, such as cutting food into tiny pieces, or using special cutlery
- Consuming a lot of water or chewing gum
- Denial of hunger
- Weighing and measuring food
- Cooking elaborate meals for others but refusing to eat them themselves
- Repeated weighing of themselves
- Frequent checking in the mirror for perceived flaws
- Complaining about being fat, bloated or feeling full
- Wearing baggy and layered clothing
- Excessive exercise/ purging/ vomiting
- Difficulty concentrating
- Constant preoccupation with food
- Restlessness and hyperactivity
- Changes in personality and mood swing
- Obsessive Compulsive behaviour
Psychological Indicators
- Distorted perception of self (that is, a great difference between how an individual believes they look and their actual physical appearance)
- Inability to remember things
- Poor judgment
- Refusal to acknowledge the gravity of the illness
- Obsessive-compulsive behaviour (excessive need to control personal environment)
- Depression (feelings of ineffectiveness, loss of interest in friends and former activities, lack of spontaneity, rigid thinking, lack of initiative, flattened emotional response, irritability, insomnia, and diminished interest in sex)
- Denial that there is a problem
Physical Indicators
- Thin appearance (a BMI under normal range of 18)
- Absence of periods (menstruation)
- Fatigue
- Dizziness or fainting
- Brittle nails
- Hair that thins, breaks or falls out
- Soft, downy hair covering the body
- Constipation and abdominal pain often accompanied by a bloated stomach
- Dry skin
- Intolerance of the cold and poor blood circulation
Physical Indicators determined by a Doctor
- Abnormal blood count
- Irregular heart rhythms and low pulse
- Low blood pressure
- Dehydration
- Loss of bone mass and eventually osteoporosis (brittle bones)
In many instances anorexia can be nipped in the bud and there is much research to indicate that when the person is given help and strategies to combat anorexia in its early stages the rate of recovery is higher than if the illness is left untreated.
Don't delay. Early intervention is important. Anorexia is a very serious illness.
Refer to "Seeking Help" and act now.
Refer to www.EDReferral.com for more information
Back to "Is it an eating disorder?"
