Anorexia

Anorexia is a condition in which a person has intense fears of gaining weight.  An anorexic person has phobic thoughts pertaining to food.  Although they are too thin, they will limit the amount of food they eat in order to avoid gaining weight.  These food intake limitations are generally extreme and go well beyond simple dieting.  Some methods anorexic individuals use to control or lose weight include purging or forced vomiting, taking laxatives, using diet pills, and exercising at unhealthy and compulsive levels.

Anorexia typically extends beyond a problem with food.  It is also a means in which an anorexic person uses food to feel a sense of control and ease tension, anxiety, and anger.  Anorexic people are typically female.  Statistics relate nearly ninety percent of anorexics are female and only ten percent are males.  These individuals demonstrate the following: lower body weight than normal, abnormal perception towards their body weight, intense anxiety and fear regarding weight gain, and will have missed three menstrual cycles consecutively.  Anorexic individuals display a body mass index lower than 17.5.  In most cases, it is significantly lower than this number as well.

A person suffering from anorexia may go to extremes to lose weight including, making themselves vomit, taking diet pills, take pills to cause urination or bowel movement, excessive exercising, constantly considers calorie intake, and moving their food around in their plates while eating very little, or not at all.  When the body does not get the energy it needs, the body slows down and this affects the body’s ability to properly function, which in turn can have extremely adverse effects on the bodies overall health, even fatal in some cases.  In essence, individuals battling anorexia suffer from starvation.  This can cause death and permanent organ and body systems damage over time.

The causes of anorexia can involve a variety of triggers, some of which have been associated to emotional and psychological stressors.  In all cases, those suffering from anorexia should immediately seek psychological help.  Psychological professionals offer individuals insight, awareness, and guidance about the disease they are fighting.  This information is also presented with a solution for recovery from this and other eating disorders.  For many persons, seeking the assistance and knowledge of an anorexia treatment professional will be the difference between life and death.

A psychologist can help persons determine causes and treatments for anorexia.  If you or someone you know may be suffering from anorexia, contact a psychologist today for help today!

Read more on other mental health topics such as: Psychologist, Mental Health, Eating Disorder and Depression