What is Anorexia Nervosa?
Anorexia nervosa is a severe but treatable eating disorder; it is characterized by intense fear of gaining weight and distorted body image. People with anorexia nervosa have low body weight because it leads individuals to restrict food intake severely. Anorexia nervosa primarily affects young women but it can also occur in men.
People with anorexia nervosa think they are overweight and they need to lose weight. To prevent weight gain people with this condition limit the amount of food intake. Anorexia nervosa results in malnutrition which causes damage to the brain as well due to the low amount of nutrition.
If anorexia nervosa remains untreated it can result in serious life-threatening physical and psychological effects. For intervention, awareness, and proper medical and psychological support is necessary.
Meaning of Anorexia Nervosa in Urdu?
Anorexia Nervosa کو اردو میں ‘بھوک کی کمی’ یا ‘خوراک کی کمی’ کی بیماری کہتے ہیں۔ یہ ایک زہنی اور جسمانی بیماری ہے۔ اس بیماری میں انسان کو لگتا ہے اس کا وزن ضرورت سے زیادہ بڑھ رہا ہے جس کو کم کرنے کی وجہ سے وہ کم کھاتا ہے یا بالکل نا کھانے کی عادت اختیار کر لیتا ہے۔ اس بیماری کا زیادہ تر شکار خواتین ہوتی ہیں مگر یہ مردوں میں بھی پائی جاسکتی ہے۔ یہ ایک نفسیاتی اور جسمانی بیماری ہے جسکا علاج بہت ضروری ہے۔
Difference Between Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa
Both anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa are eating disorders, but they are different.
In anorexia nervosa, a person restricts food intake for fear of excessive weight gain. However, in bulimia nervosa, a person purges food from their body due to episodes of binge eating.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, people with both anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa fixate on their body weight, shape, and food.
Following are the key differences,
Anorexia nervosa
People with this condition eat very little, avoid high-calorie food, and miss meals completely. Moreover, people with this condition have severe weight loss, they take medications to reduce hunger and do exercises for weight loss.
Bulimia nervosa
People with bulimia nervosa do recurrent binge eating followed by purging. Furthermore, people with this condition do overeat and vomit, and use laxatives to eliminate consumed calories.
Causes of Anorexia Nervosa
Anorexia nervosa can be caused by the following factors,
Genetics: people with a family history of eating disorders are more prone to anorexia nervosa.
Psychological causes: people with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) are more predisposed to maintaining a strict diet.
Other psychological factors include low self-esteem, perfectionism, anxiety, depression, etc.
Social and cultural pressures: modern beauty standards, media influence, and peer pressure promote unrealistic body image.
Environmental causes: this includes childhood trauma, bullying, and stressful life events that can trigger anorexia.
Symptoms of Anorexia Nervosa
Anorexia nervosa has both physical and psychological symptoms
Physical symptoms include,
- Irregular heartbeat
- Low blood pressure
- Dehydration caused by low body fluids
- Dry skin and change in skin color such as yellowish skin
- Extreme weight loss
- Weakness or tiredness
- Dizziness or fainting
- Stomach aches
- Reduced bone mass
- Emotional or behavioral symptoms include,
- Too much exercise: people with anorexia nervosa do excessive exercises beyond the limit of their body. They are intensely involved in physical exercises for weight loss.
- Focus on appearance: people with anorexia nervosa check their mirror repeatedly and use layers of clothing to cover themselves.
- Concerns about being overweight: people with anorexia nervosa care too much about their body weight or the parts of their body having a fate.
Emotional changes: people with anorexia nervosa are angry, irritable, and do less socialization.
Treatment of Anorexia Nervosa
Professional treatment is necessary for anorexia nervosa, however; effective treatment requires a combination of medical, nutritional, and psychological interventions.
Medical treatment of anorexia nervosa
There is no proper medication recommended for anorexia nervosa. American Psychological Association (APA) does not recommend medication as a main treatment for anorexia nervosa. On the other hand; medications can be used to manage the symptoms, and they can also be used to manage the medical complications of anorexia nervosa such as anemia, osteoporosis, etc.
Psychological treatment
Following are the therapies that could be used for the treatment of anorexia nervosa.
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
It is a popular treatment used for anorexia nervosa. It focuses on changing thinking patterns, beliefs, and attitudes that drive behavior.
Enhanced cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT-E) is a form of CBT that specifically addresses eating disorders.
Maudsley method
It is family-based therapy where strong support is crucial for the treatment of anorexia nervosa. It is an outpatient treatment (where patients go from their home to therapy and do not stay in treatment centers) in which family plays an important role in patients’ recovery.
There are three main goals of this treatment method,
- Firstly, to regain the weight patient needs to.
- Secondly, helping in learning new eating habits.
- Thirdly, establishing a secure sense of self.
Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)
It involves strategies like acceptance and mindfulness to increase mental flexibility. It also involves commitment and behavior change strategies.
Studies have found that ACT is a necessary technique that helps to manage the behavior related to eating disorders, but for long-term effects, further research is needed.
The following are the core values of this treatment method,
- To begin with, acceptance of the situation.
- Moreover, managing uncomfortable thoughts and feelings.
- Additionally, focus on the present movement and its awareness.
- Finally, committed action.
- HospitalizationIn hospitalization, people stay in treatment centers. It is the highest level of care for anorexia patients. It can be used in severe conditions like malnutrition, dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, abnormal heartbeat, etc.
How will SehatYab be helpful?
SehatYab is an online platform crucial for people struggling with eating disorders. It provides online psychiatric consultations in Pakistan. SehatYab helps people receive timely and effective treatment without any geographical barriers.