RSS Feed »Anorexia Nervosa
Anorexia nervosa is also known as anorexia, cibophobia or sitophobia.
Note: Technically speaking, the term 'anorexia' does not mean the same as 'anorexia nervosa'. Anorexia actually means 'loss of appetite' and is a symptom of the eating disorder anorexia nervosa. However, the two are often used interchangeably.
A fear of gaining weight
Perhaps the best known of the eating disorders, anorexia nervosa is a debilitating, dangerous, often life-threatening psychiatric illness. It is typically characterised by a person's thinness due to their fear of gaining weight (although this is not always the case) and their subsequent refusal to eat.
A person with anorexia nervosa often has a very extreme fear of weight gain. They will refuse food and embark on prolonged periods of self-starvation in order to lose weight, and will continue to do so even when their weight has fallen below what is acceptable for their height and age. They are considered to be anorexic (or an anorectic).
Distorted body image
Even when they are dangerously thin an anorexic person may still perceive themselves to be overweight because they have a distorted view of their body image. They are likely to be in denial of the fact they are underweight.
The absence of eating is often coupled with a compulsion to exercise, and participation in physical exercise will probably be far greater than is acceptable, placing additional stress on the body. Purging behaviours such as self-induced vomiting, the misuse of diet pills, diuretics or laxatives may also be employed.
Health risks of anorexia
If weight becomes dangerously low there is the risk of vital organs such as the heart and kidneys shutting down. Of all the eating disorders, and indeed all of the psychological illnesses, anorexia nervosa has the highest death rate.
Long-term health risks of anorexia include osteoporosis, an impaired immune system, fertility problems, damage to bodily organs and mental health problems.
Two types of anorexia nervosa are recognised: the restricting type and the binge-eating type or purging type.
Restricting Type
During the current period of anorexia nervosa there is no regular occurrence of bingeing or purging behaviour.
Binge-Eating Type or Purging Type
During the current period of anorexia nervosa there is a regular occurrence of binge-eating or purging behaviour.