🧠 1. Definition
Anorexia nervosa is a serious psychiatric eating disorder characterised by:
- Severe restriction of food intake
- Intense fear of gaining weight
- Distorted body image
It most commonly begins during adolescence and can become long-term.
⚠️ 2. Core Features
🍽️ Restrictive eating
- Very low calorie intake
- Avoidance of food
- Sometimes excessive exercise
🧠 Psychological features
- Extreme fear of weight gain
- Anxiety around eating
- Obsessive thoughts about body shape
👁️ Body image distortion
- Seeing oneself as “larger” than reality
- Persistent dissatisfaction with body weight or shape
🔄 3. Subtypes
🟡 Restricting type
- Weight loss through dieting, fasting, or exercise
- No regular bingeing or purging
🔴 Binge-eating / purging type
- Episodes of binge eating
- Followed by purging (vomiting, laxatives, etc.)
🧬 4. Causes and Risk Factors
Anorexia is multifactorial, meaning many factors contribute:
- Psychological traits (perfectionism, anxiety)
- Social pressures (body image ideals)
- Biological vulnerability
- Emotional stress or trauma
📊 5. Demographics and Course
- Most commonly starts in teenage years
- More frequent in developed countries
- Can become chronic without treatment
- High relapse risk
⚠️ 6. Complications
Anorexia can affect both mental and physical health.
🧠 Mental health associations:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Obsessive thinking
- Social withdrawal
🩺 Physical complications:
- Malnutrition
- Heart problems
- Hormonal disruption
- Organ damage in severe cases
📉 7. Mortality Risk
Anorexia nervosa has one of the highest mortality rates of any psychiatric disorder.
- Around 10% mortality over 20 years in long-term studies
- Causes include medical complications and suicide
💊 8. Treatment Approaches
Treatment is usually long-term and multidisciplinary.
🧠 Psychological therapies:
- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
- Family-Based Therapy (especially for adolescents)
🍎 Nutritional rehabilitation:
- Gradual restoration of healthy eating patterns
- Monitoring of weight and physical recovery
🧩 Additional support:
- Treatment for depression and anxiety
- Structured meal support
- Hospitalisation in severe cases
👨👩👧 9. Family and Social Support
- Family involvement is often essential
- Supportive environments improve recovery
- Social isolation can worsen symptoms
📌 10. Key Summary
Anorexia nervosa is:
- A serious mental health and eating disorder
- Driven by psychological, emotional, and biological factors
- Associated with high physical risk and mortality
- Treatable with structured therapy and nutritional support
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