Anorexia Nervosa

What is anorexia nervosa?
People with this eating disorder view themselves as overweight even though they may be dangerously thin. To control their weight, they develop unusual ways to control their eating. Depending on the person, the anorexia can range from a single episode to a long-term condition.  

The death rate from anorexia is 12 times higher than the overall death rate for women ages 15 to 24. Suicide is also seen at a higher rate among people with anorexia. Anorexia is a serious condition that must almost always be treated professionally.

Signs & symptoms
Most people with anorexia try to hide the ways they manage their eating and weight. For example, they may carefully portion the food they place on a plate or they may hide weight loss under baggy clothes. Signs to watch for include:

• Unusual eating habits like avoiding meals, focusing on a small number of foods or weighing food before eating
• An intense fear of weight gain
• Repeated checking of weight
• Intense or compulsive exercise
• Denial of the seriousness or even the possibility of low body weight

Who's at risk?
More than 90% of those with eating disorders are females ages 12 to 25. Males are much less likely than females to develop eating disorders: just 5% to 15% of people with anorexia or bulimia and 35% of those with binge-eating disorder are male. Emotional, social, cultural and other factors may contribute to development of anorexia, including:

• Low self-esteem
• Feelings of inadequacy
• Depression, anxiety, anger, loneliness
• Troubled family relationships
• History of abuse
• Cultural pressures to have a "perfect" body
• Narrowly defined societal images of beauty
• Societal values that place physical attractiveness above other qualities
• Imbalance of chemicals in the brain that control hunger, appetite and digestion

Professional help
Anorexia can be treated and healthy weight can be restored. The sooner it is diagnosed, the more successful the treatment is likely to be.

Priority Health members can check here for information on getting mental health assistance.

The elements of a sound treatment program are:

• Medical care for physical problems caused by anorexia
• Psychological treatment for the person’s body image, self-esteem and personal conflicts
• Nutritional counseling
• When appropriate, medications may be part of the recovery and treatment program

What you can do
If someone you know seems to be suffering from bulimia, encourage getting in touch with a doctor or a mental health professional right away. You can also help by becoming more knowledgeable about eating disorders and their effects. Read more:

• Eating disorders
• Bulimia nervosa
• Binge-eating disorder