Articles
Anorexia Nervosa
Anorexia Nervosa is a condition of excessive deliberately induced weight loss. It usually starts as a result of dieting or excessive commitment to physical exercise. It soon leads to a total preoccupation with body weight and shape and rigid control of eating. Individuals become completely absorbed in their dieting and exercising so their ability to relate to their family and friends is disturbed.
Anorexia Nervosa is usually of psychological rather than of physical origin. It is one of the important causes of ill health in adolescent and young adults, especially in females.
There is usually an intense fear of being obese, a disturbance of body image, weight loss greater than 15% of the normal expected for height and weight and with female's interference with premenstrual cycles. The longer that it goes on, often the poorer the diagnoses. Additional factors can be personality disorders, disturbed family background and poor motivation for treatment. Once a person desires to get better, there is a good chance of improvement. Rarely does the individual survive without some ongoing mental instillbility. Circumstances later in life can start problems all over again.
Symptoms
Some of the symptoms of anorexia are strict dieting,never satisfied with weight or shape, poor body image, see self as fat, constant excessive fear of being fat (sin to gain, a plus to lose). The distortion of body image leads to poor judgement of true size. Weight loss is achieved through excessive dieting and exercise, laxative and perhaps being bulimic.
Often excessive food restricts, measurement of foods and counting kilojoules are seen. Faddish food beliefs, practices and extreme fussiness about foods with excessive use of diet products are often present. Anxiety is related to food and meal times and individuals often choose to eat on their own. There is an preoccupation with thoughts of food, exercise and any means to assist with maintaining a low weight; be it laxatives, diet pills or diuretics.
Sufferers invariably have a low self esteem, feel inadequate and ineffectual. They are perfectionists. Sufferers seem convinced they should be doing more, causing less trouble, caring for or helping others more and feeling guilty for not being good enough. They generally end up exhausted and depressed. Sufferers also have a difficulty of expressing anger, being assertive or expressing their emotions. They have rigid self control of eating habits as often they don’t have control in other areas of life.
3 main stages of Anorexia:
- Dieting- feel in control of food, feel better, cannot control anything else and don't wish to stop.
- Asthetic stage - feel fine dieting, some starvation, blissful well being on a high, don't want to stop.
- Starvation - food thoughts all the time, starvation, leading to insomnia, exhaustion, depression, anxiety, sensitivity to cold, irritability, cannot think clearly or make decisions, become paranoid.
Treatment And Recovery
There is a need for valuing each individual in a non competitive way and to delight in the uniquence of individuality which is free from judgement. Anorexia is about forging a difference, "there are so many people in the world, I have to be different just to make sure I am not lost in the crowd", a comment by an Anorexic. From an Anorexia point of view, recovery is failure as they have not achieved being “the perfect Anorexic”.
They are worried about what they will have left if they give up being Anorexic. This could explain why recovery is a often a long and frustrating process. This may expain that even those who seem to have recovered may not regain normal attitudes to weight and eating. Also the relapse rate is as high and 25% will become chronically ill.
Research has shown understanding eating disorders and establishing a good relationship with an individual is perhaps more important than the method used. Taking a few minutes to be interested and being a sympathetic ear is important. It must be emphasised that the sufferer will not give up her or his disorder until there is something fullfilling and of their own choice to take its place. If not symptoms will not go or they will be replaced by alcohol or drug abuse. Each sufferer is affected by a complex interaction of social, cultural, political and familiar factors which contribute to the development of the eating disorder. The weave is different in each case.. They need to be reassure that they do not have to be perfect, neither to do their bodies have to be perfect for them to value themselves and to be loved unconditionally in their very human unique shape and form.
They must receive treatment from a team and dietitians can form a very important part of the team. If treated early, often a Dietitian can be enough. Some social workers, such as Julie Dickinson, are excellent helping families understand and come to terms with the problems as well as relating well to the Anorexic. Seek help early!
Julie Dickinson’s address is 203 Park St.Subiaco 6008. Phone number is her home number as there is no secretarial service at her rooms-08 9380 4665.
Added to site on : Wednesday, 15 June 2005