Anorexia Nervosa Research Paper

Most people with anorexia have a distorted image of their body. An anorexic will look into the mirror and see fat, even if they are sickly thin. Most commonly, anorexia begins in the teen years. This may be related to the common self-image problems that many teens suffer from. Anorexia tends to be more common in females than in males, and early intervention seems to be the key when dealing with this disorder. When left untreated, anorexia can lead to a whole slew of physical problems. Health problems related to anorexia include osteoporosis, kidney damage or failure, heart problems, and even death. Anorexia also affects the brain, as a person starves themself their metabolism changes. This change in the body causes a person not to think clearly or make good decisions. As anorexia progresses, a person will begin to have irrational behavior. For example, a person suffering from anorexia will often make rules about the amount of food they are “allowed” to consume. Others may start to purge themselves after eating even the tiniest bit of food, which is known as Bulimia. Anorexia can also bring on another psychological disorder; Depression. Depression is a mental illness that causes a person to feel sad and hopeless most of the time. People that suffer from depression will lose interest in things that they previously enjoyed, speak slower than normal, have trouble concentrating and remembering things, and be preoccupied by death

Anorexia is a serious mental health condition. It is an eating disorder where people try to keep their body weight as low as possible. DSM5 outlines the key diagnostic features for anorexia. Firstly, people with anorexia will restrict behaviours that promote healthy body weight. This could mean that they are consequentially underweight and this can be due to dieting, exercising and purging. There will also be a significant fear of weight gain, but this fear will not be relieved by weight loss. There will be a persistent fear that interferes with weight gain. Lastly, there will be a disturbed perception of ones weight and/or shape and denial of underweight status and its seriousness. Anorexia accounts for 10% of eating disorders in the UK and has

Anorexia is believed to be primarily an illness of the mind or illness of psychological origin; however, it has significant medical and physical consequences. Often it begins with a relatively normal desire to lose a few pounds. But because dieting only temporarily relieves underlying

This article explored the topic of identifying symptoms in patients with anorexia nervosa (AN). The Eating Disorder Inventory led a study, conducted by D. Garner, that studied females with AN to classify behavior exclusive to the psychological disorder. The researchers recognized the problem of trying to identify any restrictive manners or detrimental behaviors that could identify a person with AN. The purpose of the research was to find tell-tale symptoms or psychological indicators of AN in patients.

Anorexia nervosa is a serious eating disorder characterized by an abnormally low body weight and an intense fear of gaining weight. This disorder results in unhealthy, often dangerous weight loss. It can affect women and men of all ages but the ratio of adolescence women is greater than men.

With Anorexia Nervosa, there is a strong fear of weight gain and a preoccupation with body image. Those diagnosed may show a resistance in maintaining body weight or denial of their illness. Additionally, anorexics may deny their hunger, have eating rituals such as excessive chewing and arranging food on a plate, and seek privacy when they are eating. For women, they go through immediate body changes from abnormal to no menstruation periods and develop lanugo all over their bodies. Characteristics of an anorexic individual also consist of extreme exercise patterns, loosely worn clothing, and maintain very private lives. Socially, to avoid criticism or concern from others, they may distant themselves from friends and activities they once enjoyed. Instead, their primary concerns revolve around weight loss, calorie intake, and dieting. In regards to health, many will have an abnormal slow heart rate and low blood pressure, some can develop osteoporosis, severe dehydration which can result in kidney failure, and overall feel weak (Robbins, 27-29). It has been reported that Anorexia Nervosa has one of the highest death rates in any mental health condition in America (www.NationalEatingDisorders.org).

People suffering from Anorexia Nervosa see themselves as overweight, even when they are actually hazardously underweight. They are typically obsessed with weighing themselves frequently and limit the amount of food they eat during the day. Anorexia Nervosa is believed to be a mental disorder with the highest mortality rate. Patients may die from starvation or suicide. Long term starvation causes several damages on the body. Skin becomes very dry and scaly. Body starts to loose muscles. Bones stop growing and become fragile. The heart is weaker. The loss of body fat causes lower body temperature and in response to that fuzzy hairs start growing on the face, back and arms. Women lost their menstruation that may result permanent infertility.

Eating disorders are becoming more common in the Modern Era. Millions of people all across the U.S. are being diagnosed with an eating disorder. Each eating disorder that an individual can be diagnosed with has different characteristics. When questioning if someone has an eating disorder, the individual typically begins to eat differently than usual if even at all and cares more about their appearance and body weight. There are different stages to one’s illness that determines the severity that the illness has on an individual. The DSM-5 has found the “anorexia nervosa is a mental and physical disease that was recognized in France in the 19th century, usurped for England by Queen Victoria’s physician and subsequently

This disease is life threatening due to the lack of nutrients the body needs and the heart will begin to slow down creating heart failure a risk because of the body’s low blood pressure. There are a lot of other effects anorexia nervosa such as loss of muscle causing the body to be very weak, reduction of bone density creating osteoporosis, severe dehydration which causes the kidneys to begin to fail, and dry skin and hair loss can also be a problem.

In-patients with anorexia, starvation can damage vital organs such as the heart and brain. To protect itself, the body shifts into " slow gear ": monthly menstrual periods stop, breathing, pulse and, blood pressure rates drop, and thyroid function slows. Nails and hair become brittle, the skin dries, yellows, and becomes covered with soft hair called lanugo. Excessive thirst and frequent urination may occur. Dehydration contributes to constipation, and reduced body fat leads to lowered body temperature and inability to with stand cold. Mild anemia, swollen joints, reduced muscles mass, and light headedness also commonly occur in anorexia. If the disorder becomes severe, patients may lose calcium from their bones, making them brittle and prone to breakage. Scientists from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) have also found that patients suffer from other psychiatric illnesses. They may suffer from anxiety, personality or substance abuse disorders, and many are at a risk for suicide. Obsessive compulsive disorder, an illness characterized by repetitive thoughts and behaviors, can also accompany anorexia.

The health consequences of anorexia nervosa can range from very minor to life threatening. Slow heart rate and blood pressure, osteoporosis, dehydration, and dry hair and skin are just a few of the many health consequences of this disorder. Slow heart rate and blood pressure can eventually lead to heart failure. Dehydration can result in kidney failure and unconsciousness. This disorder is a very serious matter.

They will try to hide it by wearing baggy clothing or just avoid going out all together. People with anorexia suffer from another thing be sides starving themselves it is called the anorexia personality. “People with the disorder are often shy, quiet, neat, conscientious, and hypersensitive to rejection. They are prey to irrational guilt, feelings of inferiority, and obsessive worrying. They have unrealistic hopes of perfection and feel as though they can never meet their own standards”. (How the mind starves the body, and what can be done to prevent it) People with anorexia will lose muscle because of how much they want to be skinny they will work out but not eat which is the worst thing for your body. The person will lose so much muscle there heart will shrink. Lastly and the most noticeable effect of anorexia is how skin the person with it will be. If they have had it for a while they will be severely underweight and look like a skeleton covered in

Anorexia is a mental health disorder. It happens when someone's food intake or engage in extreme exercise regimens in an effort to prevent weight gain or cause weight loss. This deprives the body of many nutrients that your body needs to function. With this being said, your organs will not function as well and will experience gradual complications. People with Anorexia have low blood pressure and abnormal heart rates and have a bigger chance of heart failure. Ultimately, people suffering from anorexia risk starvation or suicide.

     After a certain amount of time has passed, people with anorexia should begin to show some warning signs. The warning signs include a frequent amount of exercising, the feeling of being cold all the time, loss of scalp hair, an increase growth of body hair, feelings of being fat when the person is too thin, irregular periods or none at all, refusal to eat and a fear of gaining weight. When people with anorexia are told they need to seek treatment, they are usually in denial and are convinced there is nothing wrong with them. "Anorexia is a mental problem manifested in a physical form. Treatment for any eating disorder should include both a mental

The male or female excruciation from anorexia nervosa will typically have an obsessive fear of gaining weight, denial to maintain a healthy body weight, and an unrealistic conceptualisation of body image. Many people with anorexia nervosa will ferociously limit the quantity of food they take and view themselves as overweight, even when they are clearly underweight. Anorexia can damage health consequences, such as brain damage, multi-organ failure, bone loss, heart problem, and infertility. The risk of fatal is highest in individuals with this disease.