Anorexia

What is anorexia nervosa?
Anorexia nervosa is a fancy way for the doctors to say that a patient voluntarily starves them self, has low self esteem, and an extreme fear of gaining weight. This disorder occurs mostly in teenage girls, (for obvious reasons, such as peer pressure, media pressure, failure to cope with changes brought on by puberty, etc. etc.) but it reportedly occurs in up to 10% of teenage boys as well. Anorexia can also include the use (or abuse) of diet pills, laxatives and diuretics.

What causes anorexia nervosa?
There really is no known "cause" for anorexia. There are a vast variety of speculated "causes" ranging from low self-esteem, to the media creating bad rolemodels for impressionable young girls. Some anorexics purge, some don't. Some anorexics over exercise, some don't. My own theory is that it's a combination of genetic, neurological, and behavioral traits mixed with the right (or wrong) circumstances. Think about it. Jane Doe can have something traumatic happen to her, and Jill Doe can have the same exact event happen to her, however, only Jane develops the eating disorder. Thus, leading me to believe it's a combination of events and traits in a person. There's no proof behind it, but that's why it's called a theory.

What are the signs and symptoms of anorexia nervosa?
Anorexia is generally characterized by extremely low weight and obsessiveness when it comes to food, calories, and exercise. However, not every anorexic is the same. Unfortunately you can't lump all of them together and set a specific set of symptoms, however it's very likely the person could be suffering from anorexia if they show any of the following signs:

* Significantly low body weight, or having lost a significant amount of body weight.
* Hair loss and unusual downy hair growth on skin.
* A vast variety of excuses to either not eat, or be absent during meal times.
* Abscence of menstrual periods.

What treatments are available for anorexia nervosa?
The majority of patients who actually seek treatment are treated in an outpatient therapy fashion, however if their medical condition requires immediate attention, they may hospitalized to recieve emergency medical care and to facilitate a more rapid weight gain. Some patients are placed into a psychiatric hospital setting (either voluntarily or involuntarily). A psychiatric hospital provides intense counseling, as well as addressing physical issues. Hospitalization isn't easy and can be quite frightening. Having been there several times, I can definitely say it's not something to take lightly and definitely not something to do unless you are completely ready to recover.