Anorexia. Anorexia - symptoms and treatment, causes, stages, weight The hallmark of anorexic personality is

Date: 29.06.2020

Anorexia (from lat.Anorexia) Is a psychological illness that also affects physical health, literally translated as “no appetite”. Nowadays, many adolescents and adult women and men around the world are sick with it. At the heart of this disease is a neuropsychiatric disorder, which manifests itself as an obsessive thought about losing weight, fear of gaining a few grams. People lose weight through strict diets, prolonged physical activity.

With anorexia, he rapidly loses weight, the patient has insomnia, depression, after eating, he blames himself for eating. He also cannot adequately assess himself and his weight. In women, the menstrual cycle is disturbed, muscle spasms, pallor of the skin, weakness and arrhythmia, and a feeling of constant cold may also appear. Hair often falls out, teeth crumble and nails break, and bones become more fragile, which increases the risk of fracture or early osteoporosis. They often die of illness or commit suicide, but a successful outcome is also possible.

Anorexia - this disease disrupts the work of the food center in the brain, often there is no appetite, they refuse any food. It is impossible to answer the question of how much weight the disease begins with. A very thin girl can be absolutely healthy, while a girl of normal weight will frantically count calories. At the same time, less than half die from heart problems or weakened immunity - most of them commit suicide. If he does not resort to recovery, then he has every chance of dying from exhaustion of the body.

Important! A large number of people die from anorexia - in percentage terms, this is about 20% of patients.

Statistics show that about 15% of women who are addicted to dieting or exercise to lose weight come to anorexia and then bulimia. Psychogenic anorexia occurs more frequently in women than in men. Most of all teenage girls (from 12 years old) are susceptible to it. Also, this disease is very common among models - about 70% of anorexic!

Types of anorexia

The disease is subdivided into several types depending on the cause of its appearance:

Neurotic. In this type, the brain is stimulated by negative emotions - weakness and depression;
Neurodynamic. Appetite disappears from strong stimuli, for example, pain. They inhibit the nerve center in the cerebral cortex;
Neuropsychic (nervous cachexia). May occur with depression, schizophrenia, obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Anorexia can also occur if a person has hypothalamic insufficiency or Kanner's syndrome.

Risk factors

If a person has certain chronic diseases, then they can contribute to the progression of the disease.

People who are at risk of getting anorexia are:

Endocrine disorders (pituitary and hypothalamic insufficiency, hypothyroidism);
Diseases of the digestive system (gastritis, hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, pancreatitis, appendicitis);
Renal failure (chronic);
Malignant formations;
Chronic pain;
Prolonged hyperthermia (infection or metabolic disorders);
Diseases associated with the teeth and oral cavity.

Iatrogenic anorexia is sometimes caused by medications that strongly affect the central nervous system. The system is also affected by caffeine, drugs, antidepressants, tranquilizers, amphetamines, and sedatives.

Important! In adolescence, the problem of excess weight becomes especially acute, and therefore anorexia occurs very often in adolescents. This often happens to perfectionists, excellent students, or children who were teased as children about their appearance.

Anorexics do not objectively assess their physique, and therefore, even with partial or complete exhaustion, they continue to consider themselves fat, fear food and deny the body the necessary nutrients. Anorexic people stop perceiving the real world, they withdraw into themselves. Even if a person accepts the fact that he has problems, then he cannot overcome the fear of food. The problem closes up: too few proteins, fats and carbohydrates affect the appetite centers of the brain, and the body no longer requires food.

Symptoms of the onset of anorexia

Anorexia does not develop imperceptibly, and therefore you need to be wary of the fact that your friend or loved one:

Pursues an obsession with losing weight while being at normal or even low weight;
He is very afraid of gaining weight even by a few grams;
Fanatically counts calories, stops communicating with people who are not interested in talking about food;
Constant refusal to eat in the company under the pretext of satiety;
Distortion of the normal concept of "eating" or turning it into a ritual with slow chewing;
Avoiding events that are in any way related to food, feeling unwell after a meal;
Wearing yourself out with physical exertion and irritation if you are unable to perform the required amount of exercise;
Wearing baggy or loose clothing to hide your shape;
Aggression when discussing food or judging the type of food;
Solitude, the development of isolation.
Body weight is 30% or more below normal.

Symptoms of anorexia may not appear immediately. As the body is no longer supplied with food, it loses muscle. A later stage is cachexia, which is expressed as a severe depletion of the body. Anorexic patients develop bradycardia (slow heartbeat), blood pressure drops, skin becomes pale, fingers and nose may turn blue. Also, hands become cold and sensitive to temperature changes. Only a doctor's diagnosis will help to accurately establish anorexia.

In addition to physical ailment, he also experiences the following stages of anorexia:

Depression;
Apathy;
Dispersed;
Poor performance;
Closing in oneself and one's problems;
Constant dissatisfaction with the appearance and criticism.
Obsession with losing weight and success in it.

Anorexics may lose a sense of reality and control over their lives. Anorexics do not think that they are sick and are sure that they want to feed them, make them fat.

Physiological signs of anorexia

Although anorexia is mostly a psychological problem, it also has pronounced physical symptoms:

Small body weight (one third below the age norm);
Weakness and frequent fainting;
Increased hair growth on different parts of the body (in this way the body tries to warm the owner);
Decreased sex drive and lack of menstrual cycle in women;
Feeling cold due to poor circulation.

In addition, the skin becomes dry and begins to peel off. The hair on the head falls out, also becomes dry, while the whole body is covered with fluff. When subcutaneous fat is burned. Muscles begin to atrophy. The body uses up the necessary layer of fat from the organs, which causes them to sink. Edema and other disturbances in the water-salt balance are often observed. Hemorrhages and attacks of psychopathy may occur.

Expert opinion

Smirnov Victor Petrovich
Nutritionist, Samara

Anorexia of various origins is a complex problem for doctors of many specialties. Everyone knows that losing weight is much easier than gaining weight. And if overweight can be dealt with with recommendations for increasing physical activity, healthy eating or unloading and dietary therapy, it is sometimes very difficult for doctors to find a common language with anorectics.

In the event that anorexia is based on severe endocrine pathology, for example, pituitary cachexia, then the person is adequate and fully accepts all the recommendations of a specialist. But in the event that anorexia is a consequence of a manic desire to lose weight, then the chances of a cure are very small. The doctor needs to treat not cachexia itself, but to direct the patient's thoughts in a completely different direction.

This type of anorexia nervosa is quite widespread: 1.2% among women and 0.3% among the male population. Moreover, the overwhelming number of all patients are girls and young women. Moreover, 90% of patients with anorexia nervosa are between the ages of 12 and 23 years. For the successful treatment of anorexia nervosa, it is necessary to involve many specialists: not only nutritionists, but also psychologists, sometimes psychiatrists, and gastroenterologists. As a result, the cost of treating a single case of anorexia nervosa can be much higher than that associated with organic pituitary insufficiency.

Treatment of anorexia

In the treatment of anorexia, enhanced nutrition is prescribed. Gradually, anorexic increases the calorie content of their daily diet (by 50-100 kcal per day), bringing it to a healthy level. Also, doctors prescribe mineral and vitamin complexes. Nutrition is only a temporary measure and does not cure the real problem. Anorexia is more of a psychological disease that first of all needs to be treated by a psychologist. It is necessary to convince the person that he is sick, he needs anorexia treatment and recovery. Especially difficult is the refusal to count calories, eating food in small quantities. The patient must understand the horror of the disease and seriously want to get rid of it.

Important! Doctors prescribe split meals with more high-calorie foods containing protein. If a patient with anorexia refuses to eat or cannot do it on their own, then parenteral nutrition is administered to him.

In the earliest stages, when anorexia has not yet manifested itself in the form of exhaustion, patients are admitted to the hospital. There, first of all, they normalize nutrition, restore metabolism. They are not allowed to travel long distances; meeting with loved ones takes place by agreement. Walking and socializing are used as rewards for gaining weight and adhering to a diet. The psychological recovery from anorexia takes about 1-3 months. If the treatment goes right, then anorexics gain weight and recover. Relapses often occur - conditions in which a person falls ill again. Statistics show that less than half of the patients who survived anorexia fully recover. Anorexia is a very terrible disease, which, in addition to external physical inconveniences, also causes internal experiences.

If you notice signs of anorexia in a loved one, try talking to him and find out what is wrong. Remember that first of all you need to convince the person that he is sick, and only then heal his health. If the patient refuses any treatment, they will have to resort to the services of a psychologist, and possibly even hospitalization. Treatment should be versatile and accurate. It is necessary to convince a person that living a full life is much better, and in life there is much more interesting than it seems to him.

Health

It is generally accepted that anorexia is a psychological disorder involving the voluntary refusal of food. However, this is far from an unambiguous disease, in some cases it is characterized not only by loss of appetite, but also by an overly active addiction to exercise. In general, everything that leads to weight loss. Since anorexia nervosa manifests itself in a conscious, often mentally unreasonable desire to lose weight, it is no wonder that this disorder has a strong effect on the physical body of a person, leading to the development of many diseases and, sometimes, death.

DESCRIPTION

So, anorexia nervosa usually begins with a desire to keep a strict diet and lose weight by all means. This phenomenon can be caused by some event in your personal life, for example, a breakup in a relationship with a loved one. In this case, the emerging desire to control your diet and observe some kind of healthy diet is supplanted by the desire for complete control of the partner's feelings. Also, anorexia can be caused by the death of a loved one, his illness or some other significant event. As a rule, mainly girls and young women suffer from this disease, but cases of male anorexia are also known. It is also known that 60 percent of people suffering from anorexia have been sexually assaulted. In this case, anorexia can be considered a specific post-traumatic syndrome.

People with anorexia are obsessed with refusing to eat, and most often with thoughts of weight loss. Such people may eventually stop eating enough food to maintain a normal body weight. In addition to all, people suffering from anorexia may suffer from their appearance considering themselves too fat. However, there is usually no reason to think so. Moreover, some of these people just look extremely thin and emaciated.

Refusal of food for a person suffering from anorexia can take quite bizarre forms. For example, a person may refuse to eat in the presence of other people, or simply hide food in cupboards. There are even known cases when people showed an increased interest in cooking various dishes, but did not eat them themselves... It is also possible that a person completely refuses products of certain groups, especially those that contain too much (in the opinion of the anorexic) fats and carbohydrates. Anorexic people can also devote a lot of time to depleting physical exercise, sometimes showing signs of so-called compulsive overeating (impulsive binge eating), which is then accompanied by vomiting. Some people specifically take emetics and even laxatives. Also many take so-called diuretics, that is, diuretics... To cope with bouts of hunger (those who have them!), Anorexic people can often take so-called suppressants, which include drugs to suppress appetite.

People with anorexia nervosa usually do not recognize or acknowledge that something is wrong with their diet. This phenomenon is especially common at the initial stage, when the anorexic is unwilling to admit that they have any psychological disorder... Anorexia is in many ways similar to bad habits, such as drunkenness and drug addiction - it is extremely difficult to convince a person that he is an alcoholic or addicted to drugs. A person suffering from anorexia dulls the emotional perception of what is happening, and if such a person decided to lose weight and began to adhere to a debilitating diet, it can be very difficult to stop him. And you need to stop, because this psychological disorder is almost always associated with a deterioration in the physical condition of the body... Anorexia is a potentially extremely dangerous phenomenon, and if it is not dealt with in time, everything can very well end in death.

CAUSES

The reasons that lead to anorexia are very complex and not always clear. However, experts around the world recognize that a wide range of factors plays a role in the development of this disorder, among which psychological, social, biological, cultural and even hereditary factors can be distinguished. Some scientists have suggested that even genetic factors may be at the root of the disorder, but this version did not receive support among other specialists, due to the lack of clear evidence in its favor. However, research is still ongoing. So, all of the above factors, according to experts, can make a serious contribution to the appearance and development of anorexia nervosa in people susceptible to this disorder.

According to many researchers, a rather big contribution to the propagation of anorexia was made by the media, actively advertising a certain image of a woman with an "ideal" figure. Young women all over the world literally come under fire from a huge number of advertising images, the main characters of which are extremely thin girls who look more like prisoners of concentration camps. This image exerted strong pressure on public stereotypes regarding the standards of beauty. However, some researchers believe that such an advertising image fostered by the media is only a reflection of the tendencies and moods hovering in society.

As mentioned above, anorexia nervosa is more likely to manifest in those young people who have been exposed to any difficult life circumstances at a certain age level. The age group most susceptible to developing anorexia includes young people aged 16 to 24 years. It is assumed that such young people experienced some kind of emotional or physical shock, which manifested itself in the syndrome of heightened anxiety. People suffering from anorexia very often also suffer from extremely low self-esteem; many of them believe, for example, that they do not deserve love. These thoughts are reinforced by the desire to look beautiful and have a slender body, since, according to anorexics, this is what will help them feel like full members of society... An important factor that spurs the desire to lose weight in such people is the approval that they receive from relatives, friends and other people from their environment at the early stage of weight loss.

Unwittingly, the development of anorexia in some people is influenced by their family members. It is known that people suffering from anorexia very often come from families, in which every member of the family is presented with inflated demands and expectations... Such people are often characterized as perfectionists, ambitious careerists who strive to achieve the highest level of success in all aspects of their lives. In such families, people depend on the opinions of other family members, so there can be no question of any independent development. Moreover, the child gets used to it and is afraid of growing up. Thus, the refusal to eat and the desire to keep the development of your body within the framework of the existing body may be the subconscious desire of the anorexic to remain a teenager (or child) for as long as possible... Ideally, always. Basically, this is the trouble of adolescent girls, who are panicky afraid of the changes in their body that are manifested in connection with the development of sexuality. They try to stop the onset of these changes by trying to keep their bodies lean. It is noteworthy that this phenomenon is typical both for families in which parents overprotect their child, and for families in which parents do not pay attention to him. For example, this phenomenon is often found in families in which parents devote all their free time to a career and making money. Or at the other extreme: this phenomenon can be found in families in which parents are prone to drunkenness or drug addiction. And even in a family in which the cult of food is nurtured, and the parents are real gluttons, the child can refuse food so as not to associate his image with the image of his parents.

SYMPTOMS

If we talk about documented cases of anorexia, then this psychological disorder was accompanied by the following symptoms:

-- Unwillingness to maintain a body weight that is at least 85 percent of the normal weight typical for a person of a particular age and height.

-- Anxiety about gaining excess weight and looking fat, whereas in reality, a person looks extremely thin and emaciated.

-- Distorted perception of the image of one's own body, which seems to be normal, but in fact, looks more like a skeleton.

-- Just too low body weight, unnatural thinness and a depleted body.

-- Violation of the menstrual cycle in girls (absence of at least three cycles in a row) against the background of extreme thinness. It must be borne in mind, however, that such a violation can lead to the use of contraceptives.

As a rule, all of the above symptoms are mandatory companions of anorexia nervosa. In addition, the following manifestations are possible:

-- Vomiting, abuse of laxatives in an attempt to control your weight.

-- The use of suppressive drugs to suppress appetite. The most active and most addictive drug is pseudoephedrine.

-- Severe food restrictions - including quantity.

-- Obsessive-compulsive manifestations (impulsive gluttony, and so on).

-- Torture with excessive physical exercise.

-- Inappropriate response to anything related to food.

-- Decreased sexual desire.

-- Denial of the presence of an obvious problem with excessive thinness, and so on.

-- Refusal from the usual manifestations of daily activity.

-- Attempts to hide or disguise their condition by such actions as, for example, wearing large sizes of clothes, trying to hide food, artificially induce vomiting in themselves, and so on.

-- Decline of conscious activity. Manifestation of drug and alcohol addiction.

Anorexia, among other things, is dangerous in that it has a negative impact on all areas of human life. Fasting can have the same effect as severe depression. The person feels overwhelmed., suffers from scattered attention and loss of the ability to concentrate, loses interest in everything that once interested him in life. All these manifestations lead to social and interpersonal conflict, from which not only the anorexic person himself suffers, but also his inner circle.

The health consequences of a person suffering from anorexia can be, as mentioned above, extremely serious. Changes in health status are characterized by the following symptoms:

-- Abnormal decrease in heart rate.

-- Dry skin with a yellowish tint.

-- The appearance of hair in the form of a small fluff on the face and hands (a phenomenon called lanugo, which is explained by the fact that the body is thus trying to conserve body heat).

-- Lack of energy and fatigue with even little activity.

-- Intolerance to cold - especially in the area of arms and legs.

-- Lowered blood pressure and dizziness.

-- Gastrointestinal problems such as constipation and abdominal pain.

-- Hormonal Disorders.

-- Swelling of the joints.

-- Increased fragility of hair and nails.

In severe cases serious complications are possible, which manifest themselves in the following symptoms:

-- Heart rhythm problems.

-- Weakening of kidney function.

-- Anemia.

-- Extremely low blood pressure.

-- The appearance of erosion of the tooth enamel due to constant vomiting.

-- Decreased bone strength (osteoporosis).

These complications pose the greatest threat not only to the general health of the anorexic, but also to his life.

DISEASE DEVELOPMENT

As mentioned above, anorexia is most common in women (90 percent of cases), and usually manifests itself during adolescence or at a very young age. According to various information sources, the number of Russian girls suffering from anorexia is at least one percent, and the maximum is ten percent. But most experts agree on an average of five percent. For comparison, in the same United States of America, 0.5 percent of girls aged 13 to 19 suffer from anorexia nervosa.

Experts consider anorexia to be a chronic disease, which is very ambiguous. Some researchers have noted numerous cases of self-healing without any treatment. Most often, relief comes after some combination of anorexia treatment interventions. Often there is a repeated relapse, consisting in weight fluctuations. Unfortunately, there are cases when sharply manifested complications of the disease end in death.

As is the case with many other diseases, doctors are more favorable about the course of treatment in cases where the disorder was noticed at an early stage of development and adequate treatment for anorexia has been proposed before it becomes neglected. People with mild cases of anorexia who do not need hospitalization are generally the most likely to cope with the condition. Approximately 70 to 80 percent of people with this disorder recover fairly well with conventional treatments.

However, anorexia often shows resistance to many types of treatment, and also tends to reappear, some time after the first small success in treatment. Approximately 50 percent of people with anorexia return to their normal weight, but almost half of them continue to suffer from other symptoms and problems, such as depression, increased anxiety, problems with social adaptation and communication with loved ones. Some of the unfortunate go into extreme states. For example, there have been cases of bulimia, a mental disorder that manifests itself in increased appetite, associated with a feeling of severe hunger. Usually such manifestations end with overeating and even attempts to artificially induce vomiting.

RISK FACTORS

Anorexia nervosa very often begins with a normal diet, gradually manifesting itself in a manic desire to control their own body weight... For example, if a person initially denied himself dessert for dinner for some time, then he may begin to deny himself a whole dinner. Of course, this criterion does not determine which of the dieting women belong to the risk group for anorexia. However, there are observations showing that, for example, a sharp weight loss (from one to one and a half kilograms per week) is more likely to lead to the development of anorexia nervosa. Smoother weight loss, associated with the consumption of a certain amount of calories per day (more than 1400 calories), to a lesser extent threatens with serious eating disorders and even more so with anorexia.

As mentioned above, anorexia can start unexpectedly after an event has occurred in a person's life, which turned into severe stress for him... But in some cases, even at first glance, harmless events can make especially susceptible people refuse to eat. Such changes in the behavior of adolescents, or a young girl (less often a guy) can be considered signs that this individual may belong to a risk group. That is why special attention should be paid to how the behavior of such young people will change in the future and whether such changes will lead to such a psychological disorder as anorexia.

IN WHAT CASES DO I NEED THE HELP OF A DOCTOR?

As mentioned above, some cases of anorexia can go away, as it were, by themselves. However, it is necessary to seek medical help without postponing this decision on the back burner, if you see in your friend or loved one the manifestation of the following symptoms:

-- If there is significant weight loss in a short period of time.

-- If there are constant refusals to eat.

-- If there is an excessive craving for various exhausting diets.

-- Despite the pronounced thinness a person complains of being overweight.

-- Constantly cutting back on his diet, worrying about extra calories.

-- Every time after a meal, he takes laxatives, diuretics, diet pills and emetics.

-- Feels dizzy, faints, and expresses extreme apathy.

-- Constantly complains of changing heart rate.

-- Observed unhealthy hyperactivity and sleep problems.

-- If denies the existence of a problem, despite its obviousness.

-- If there are mental complications, manifested, for example, in depression.

DIAGNOSIS

Unfortunately, it is very difficult to diagnose the presence of this disorder in a person suffering from anorexia, for the simple reason that anorexic does not want to admit the presence of the disease (or is not able to do it) and goes to all sorts of tricks to hide the problem. If you do not consider the group of girls who clearly suffer from problems associated with anorexia, it can be noted that a huge group of adolescents and young women show signs of the presence of this disorder, which, according to experts, can easily result in pronounced anorexia. That is why it is worth paying increased attention to these alarming signals. Anorexia nervosa should be detected at the stage where when a girl is just starting to lose weight and continues to actively complain about excess body weight... It does not matter how much this person has lost weight. Sometimes simple blood and urine tests are enough to determine other possible causes of the dramatic weight loss.

Diagnosing anorexia is also complicated by the fact that there is some analogy between this disease and another mental disorder - bulimia nervosa. As mentioned above, neurogenic bulimia is a condition characterized by true gluttony followed by an inadequate weight loss prevention strategy. In other words, a person takes emetics and laxatives, and may also exhaust himself with unnecessarily intense physical training. In many girls suffering from anorexia, the same symptoms appear at different periods of the development of the disease as in bulimia, that is, a person begins to eat a lot, while taking emetics and laxatives. Usually, the reason why anorexic can lose control of themselves and indulge in gluttony is extremely simple- a person begins to feel severe hunger. After that, as a rule, there comes an awareness of what happened, followed by the intake of emetics and laxatives.

TREATMENT

The main goal that a specialist who is trying to cure a person with anorexia should set for himself is identifying the underlying psychological, personal and interpersonal factors... The weight lost by a sick person should be restored in an extremely careful and humane manner. It is very important that it is the restoration of weight that becomes the primary moment of recovery that doctors will observe; only then, as the weight is restored, the girl suffering from anorexia should be returned to a normal diet. Studying the underlying problems at an early stage can help stop the further development of the disorder. In general, anorexia treatment is most effective when it consists of multifunctional interventions including psychotherapy, nutritional advice and ongoing medical supervision.

Many experts consider it a very important moment in the fight against anorexia to develop individual programs for the treatment of this disorder, which would take into account all the needs of the person suffering from this disease. Correct treatment should also take into account the stage of the disease and the patient's personal desire to participate in the treatment. If the anorexic is severely malnourished, hospitalization may be recommended. This usually happens when the anorexic has lost about 25 percent of their healthy body weight, or when fasting has led to some kind of physical complication. Hospitalization can also be prescribed in the case when outpatient treatment has not brought any positive results. Also, admission to the hospital is carried out, if an anorexic person tried to commit suicide, or has demonstrated any other obvious mental health complications. In this case, as a rule, stricter control and monitoring of the patient is assigned.

Undoubtedly, the first measure to cure anorexia should be individual psychotherapy - methods of influencing the psyche of anorexics with a word for therapeutic purposes... An additional and very important event is the development of a special diet. If a person accepts treatment at home, then a very important point in the treatment is the support of family and friends. For this, specialists must develop methods of psychotherapy with the involvement of the patient's family members. Collective psychotherapy can be very helpful. when treatment takes place in a group of people suffering from a similar problem. Also, such treatment is less expensive.

Nutritional control and regular medical care are essential to complement all of the above forms of psychotherapy. Returning to a normal diet will bear fruit faster if it is carried out with the active participation of the patient. Anorexics are gradually taught to consume adequate amounts of calories. Since we are talking about changing the behavioral response associated with nutrition, it can be very effective, so to speak, the carrot method, that is, a certain reward system that plays a major role in the mechanisms of behavior reinforcement. However, experts should be extremely careful about developing such a reward system. While it is very important to praise and reward the sick person for their achievements on the path to recovery, such rewards can lead to a relapse of the disease. since it is far from always possible to successfully and quickly cope with the task of restoring a healthy body weight... Many experts advise in special cases the use of certain antidepressants and relaxants, which can also lead to positive effects.

PREVENTIVE MEASURES

As you know, the most effective measures for the treatment of any disease are measures to prevent its occurrence. Unfortunately, there are no definitively approved measures to prevent anorexia, but there are some recommendations from experts that can reduce a person's risk of developing this mental disorder.

-- Parents, teachers and caregivers can help the child focus on an adequate self-perception and on creating a positive self-image.

-- Parents should focus their attention on carrying out certain educational work, which will help the child not to take too close to his heart any flaws in his own appearance and extra pounds.

-- In no case should parents condemn a child for having extra pounds, or even in any way focus on the lack of excess weight, if the child has one.

-- Parents should have preventive conversations with their children, focusing on the disadvantages of intense fasting... Instead, focus on improving your child's diet.

-- Parents should be interested in the child's life in order to notice in time suspicious changes in his way of eating, or the appearance of a desire to adhere to a strict diet.

-- Ideally, of course, the child should be protected from the information flow advertising the anorexic image of the modern teenager, which falls on him from TV screens, computers and from the pages of modern fashion magazines.

Health

Anorexia nervosa is one of the most dangerous and life-threatening eating disorders.

People with anorexia eat so little that they experience unhealthy weight loss and are terribly thin.

The consequences of this violation can be very serious.

It is known that 5-20 percent of people with anorexia die, most often due to complications associated with fasting, such as multiple organ failure or diseases such as pneumonia due to the body's inability to fight off infections.

Causes of anorexia

The exact cause of anorexia is difficult to name. This is a complex disease that can arise from a combination of several factors.

It can start after a stressful event, such as breaking up a relationship, moving to a new location, or leaving a loved one.

May be caused by hereditary biological and genetic characteristics. For example, inborn traits such as perfectionism and sensitivity associated with the development of anorexia can lead a person to an eating disorder.

Genetics

Studies on twins have shown that 30-75 percent of anorexia cases are due to a genetic predisposition.

The culture

Modern Western culture places a strong emphasis on thinness, especially for women. Many equate self-esteem, success and their weight and size, which forces them to go to extreme lengths to achieve the ideal.

The pressure of others

A person under strong social pressure is more likely to suffer from anorexia. This phenomenon is common among adolescents who are strongly influenced by the opinions of their peers.

Age

Anorexia nervosa can affect people of all ages, but it is most common in young people, most often in adolescents and less often in those over 40.

Floor

About 90-95 percent of all cases of anorexia occur in girls or women.

Family history of anorexia

If a family member (parent, child or sister) suffered from anorexia, this increases the risk.

Certain professions

Models, athletes, and performers (dancers, actors) are at risk of being more pressured to look a certain way.

The turning points in life

Any major life change, such as changing school or work, breaking up with a partner, or losing a loved one, can increase your risk of developing anorexia and similar eating disorders.

Psychological reasons

Low self-esteem, strong and painful experiences, psychological trauma often contribute to the development of anorexia.

Signs of anorexia

A person suffering from anorexia may have one or more of the following symptoms:

Constant dietary and nutritional restrictions that are outside the normal range

Rapid weight loss, underweight and wasting

An obsession with calories and fatty foods

Ritual eating habits (cutting food into tiny pieces, eating alone, hiding food)

Fixation on food, recipes and food preparation. A person can prepare complex dishes for others, but he does not eat himself.

Amenorrhea - absence of menstruation for 3 months or more

Depression and lethargy

The appearance of lanugo (soft, fine hairs on the face and body)

Feeling cold in the limbs

Hair loss or thinning

Social isolation

The consequences of anorexia

The health effects of anorexia can be very severe.

Even before the onset of the physical symptoms of this disorder, it affects virtually every system in the human body. She's like an aggressive form of cancer that won't stop until it wins.

This disease has the highest mortality rate of any mental illness.

And the longer a person suffers from anorexia, the higher the risk of death becomes. Some of the consequences of this disorder can last a lifetime, but with early intervention, some of them can be prevented.

1. Heart disease

Fasting, overeating, and cleansing lead to electrolyte imbalances. Electrolytes such as sodium, potassium, and chloride help regulate the heartbeat.

When a person is dehydrated, electrolytes such as potassium decrease, which can lead to cardiac arrhythmias- irregular heartbeat. Although arrhythmia is harmless in many cases, it can sometimes be very dangerous and even lead to cardiac arrest.

In addition to the heart rate, anorexia also affects heart size... When people go hungry and lose weight, they lose not only fat but also muscle mass.

Since the heart itself is a muscle, fasting can lead to a decrease in the mass and size of the heart cavity.

It is also worth remembering that in order for the heart to beat, the lungs to work, and the blood to flow through the veins, the body needs energy.

Fasting causes an energy crisis, and in response to this, the body literally slows down and tries to store the remaining energy that is needed to perform basic life functions.

In addition to slowing down the metabolism, heart rate slows down and baricardia occurs... If, on average, the heart beats at a frequency of about 80 beats per minute, then in anorexic people, the heart rate can reach 25 beats per minute.

2. Bone problems

About 80 percent of women with anorexia have a disorder such as osteopenia- loss of bone calcium, and in 40 percent osteoporosis- loss of bone density.

More than two-thirds of children and adolescents with anorexia will not develop strong bones during the critical growth period. This is one of the irreversible consequences of this disease.

3. Neurological disorders

In advanced cases, nerve damage can occur in a person with anorexia, which can affect the brain and other parts of the body. As a result, there is a risk of such violations as

Seizures

Incoherent thinking

Numbness or tingling sensations in the hands and feet (peripheral neuropathy)

Brain scans of anorexic people show that the brain is undergoing structural changes or abnormal activity during illness. Some damage can last for life.

4. Anemia

Fasting often causes anemia in people with anorexia. This problem is primarily associated with very low levels of vitamin B12.

When the disease is advanced, the production of blood cells in the bone marrow is significantly reduced. This condition is called pancytopenia and can also be life threatening.

5. Stomach problems

Anorexia puts a lot of stress on the digestive system. Bloating and constipation are very common problems for anorexics.

Since anorexia is often associated with bulimia (increased hunger), constant cleansing and vomiting can expose the digestive system to excess stomach acid and lead to esophageal inflammation, gastritis, and ulcers.

6. Failure of organs

In the later stages of anorexia, the organs of the human body simply stop working. One of the first indicators of organ failure is high levels of liver enzymes.

To prevent this, an immediate intake of calories is needed.

7. Amenorrhea and infertility

The hormonal changes that occur with anorexia can have very serious consequences for women. Reproductive hormone levels decrease and stress hormone levels rise. As a result, amenorrhea occurs, which in women menstruation and ovulation stop.

If you start treatment and regain weight, estrogen levels may return to normal and your menstrual cycle will recover, but sometimes it never comes back.

If pregnancy occurs, the risk of miscarriage, the birth of a premature baby and a baby with congenital developmental defects is significantly increased.

8. Diabetes

In young people with type 1 diabetes, low blood sugar may pose an increased risk. A particularly dangerous condition known as diabulimia is when a person deliberately lowers their daily insulin intake in order to reduce weight.

Very high blood sugar levels lead to diabetic ketoacidosis, in which ketones build up, which can lead to coma and death.

9. Psychological disorders

In adolescents and young adults, anorexia can increase the risk of mental illness such as anxiety and depression.

Anorexics are at risk of suicidal behavior. According to research, the risk of suicide in women with anorexia is 57 times higher than in other women. There are frequent cases of alcohol and drug abuse.

10. Other consequences

Bruising for no reason

Tooth decay and discoloration

Decreased immune system

Dizziness

Dry skin, brittle hair and nails

Puffiness - water retention mainly in the ankles and feet

Endocrine Disorders

Fainting

High cholesterol

Hyperactivity

Hypoglycemia - low blood sugar

Kidney damage or failure

Baldness

Low blood pressure

Low body temperature - constant feeling of cold

Muscle cramps and weakness

Pancreatitis - painful inflammation of the pancreas

Sensitivity to light and sound

In today's world, more and more people suffer from eating disorders. The most common of these is anorexia nervosa, a disease common in adolescents with very dire consequences. The most obvious sign of this ailment is an obsession with thinness and refusal to eat, leading to exhaustion. Find out more about what this disease is, how it manifests itself, is treated and what complications it can lead to.

What is anorexia nervosa

This name in psychiatry bears a disease from the category of eating disorders. People with this nervous ailment, as a rule, deliberately do everything to lose weight, pursuing one of two goals: losing weight or preventing excess weight gain. Girls are more likely to suffer from anorexia nervosa. One of the characteristic signs of the disease is a panic fear of getting better. Patients perceive their body distortedly. They believe that they are overweight and should lose weight, although in most cases this is completely untrue.

Who is at risk

Mental anorexia is more common in girls, especially during adolescence. Among the inhabitants of the planet, almost 1.5% of women and 0.3% of men are sick. The overwhelming majority of people with this diagnosis are girls from 12 to 27 years old (80%). The remaining 20% are men and mature women. The disease occurs even in those of the fairer sex who have reached the period of menopause.

Causes of the disease

Disease triggering factors can be biological, psychological, or social. Each group of reasons should be described in more detail:

physiological characteristics (overweight, early onset of menstruation, dysfunction of neurotransmitters that regulate eating behavior);
psychological trauma (the presence of relatives or friends with anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, obesity, alcohol abusers, drug addicts, depression, any stress, episodes of sexual or physical abuse in the past);
socio-cultural factors (living in an area where thinness is considered an integral sign of female beauty, popularization of models, adolescence and adolescence);
heredity (the desire for thinness on the verge of a mental disorder can be transmitted from parents to children, this is a genetic predisposition that manifests itself in an unfavorable situation, a certain chromosome is responsible for it);
personal factors (obsessive-perfectionist personality type, low self-esteem, self-doubt).

How does anorexia nervosa syndrome manifest?

Sometimes the disease remains unnoticed by relatives and friends for a long time. Many people deliberately hide the signs, go to various tricks to keep others in the dark for as long as possible. They completely deny that they are sick and need help. Mental anorexia is recognized by its symptoms, the details of which will be described below. These include signs:

external;
psychological;
behavioral.

External signs

Serious changes are gradually taking place in the form of the patient. What happens to the appearance:

Weight is at least 15% below normal. Body mass index is 17.5 or less. Patients in puberty have an inability to gain weight during a period of intensive growth.
There is a general endocrine disorder of the body. Women stop menstruating. Men stop feeling sexual desire, have problems with potency.
The manifestations of puberty are slowed down or even absent. In girls with eating disorders, mammary glands stop developing, menstruation does not occur, or menstruation occurs very rarely and in small quantities. In adolescents, the genitals may remain juvenile.
Dysfunction of the body. Menstrual problems, arrhythmias, muscle cramps, weakness.

Psychological symptoms

Internally, a person changes no less than outwardly. He sees and perceives his body distorted. A strong fear of obesity takes on a psychopathological form, and weight loss becomes an obsession with overvalued idea. The patient believes that exclusively in low weight he will look beautiful and feel harmoniously. The following symptoms gradually appear:

sleep disturbances;
depressive state;
frequent states of resentment, unreasonable anger;
mood swings from very sad and irritated to euphoric;
biased self-esteem.

Behavioral signs

The patient's habits become specific. If loved ones are attentive to a person, they should notice that his behavior has changed. The patient develops one or more of the following obsessive habits, but at the same time he completely denies the problem:

avoiding eating foods that are fat;
induction of vomiting after meals;
the use of many laxatives;
using the wrong ways of eating (eating while standing, crushing food into microscopic pieces);
passion for everything related to food: new recipes, ways of processing products;
intense sports;
unwillingness to participate in family feasts;
Taking diuretics or appetite suppressants
preparation of luxurious meals for loved ones (while the patient does not participate in the meal).

Signs of anorexia in a teenager

Since the disease in the vast majority of cases occurs in girls of puberty, parents should be extremely careful and know its manifestations in order to identify the problem in a timely manner. What signs indicate that a teenager has anorexia:

The child is dissatisfied with his figure. He spends a lot of time in front of the mirror and often starts talking about appearance and beauty.
Thoughts about food become obsessive, episodes of calorie counting become more frequent.
Eating behavior changes. Parents should be alerted if the child begins to eat from very small dishes (saucers, etc.), cut food into tiny pieces, swallow without chewing. Sometimes children vomit after a meal.
The teenager completely refuses to eat, secretly takes some drugs for weight loss, diuretics, laxatives.
The child goes in for sports until exhaustion.
The teenager becomes secretive, irritable, often depressed, displays hysterical character traits. He loses friends, wears baggy things.
There are changes in appearance. The eyes sink, the face becomes puffy, the hair grows dull and falls out, the skin is dry, the nails exfoliate, the ribs and collarbones bulge, the joints seem too large.

Stages of anorexia

The disease is divided into several stages: initial, anorectic, cachetic, reduction. Each stage has its own characteristic features: external manifestations, changes in the body, behavioral habits. The sooner treatment for anorexia is started, the more chances the patient has for a full recovery without serious negative health consequences. Each stage of the disease should be described in more detail.

Initial

At the initial stage, the patient develops thoughts that he is inferior, overweight. A person sincerely believes that it is necessary to lose weight in order to become happier. This state is accompanied by constant looking at oneself in the mirror, depressed state, anxiety. The first signs of a change in eating habits appear. A person limits himself, changes his diet in search of the ideal, in his opinion, food and gradually comes to the need for fasting. The duration of the period is 2-4 years.

Anorectic

This period can last for a very long time (up to two years) and begins against the background of persistent starvation. For the anorectic stage of the disease, the following symptoms are characteristic:

weight is reduced by 20-30% and this does not cause anxiety, but euphoria and pride in oneself;
a person increasingly tightens the diet, first refusing foods rich in proteins and carbohydrates, and then switching to dairy and plant foods;
a person convinces himself and others that he has no appetite;
physical activity is pushed to the limit and becomes exhausting;
the patient underestimates the degree of weight loss;
too little fluid circulates in the body, as a result hypotension, bradycardia begin;
a person constantly feels chill, freezes;
the skin becomes dry, thin, dystrophic;
alopecia begins;
in women, menstruation stops, and in men, sexual desire disappears;
the functioning of the adrenal glands is disrupted.

Cachectic

There are irreversible changes in the internal organs, their dystrophy occurs. The stage begins 1.5-2 years after the anorectic. During the cachexia period, patients have already lost 50% or more of their weight from the norm. Protein-free edema begins, the water-electrolyte balance is disturbed, and the body becomes deficient in potassium. The dystrophic changes characteristic of this period lead to the fact that all organs and systems are functioning incorrectly and it will not be possible to fix it.

Reduction

This stage is called recurrent or relapse. After the course of treatment, the patient gains weight, which again causes fears and delusional ideas in him. He again tries to lose weight, returns to dieting, fasting, exercise. To avoid the reduction stage, the patient, after being discharged from the medical facility, must be constantly under the strict supervision of relatives and doctors. Relapses can occur over several years.

Methods for the diagnosis of psychogenic anorexia

Doctors must take a series of measures to make sure the patient has an eating disorder. Types of diagnostic tests:

Patient interview. Specialists should ask the patient about how he perceives his body, how he eats, find out what internal psychological problems he has.
Blood sugar test. If a person is sick, the indicators will be significantly lower than normal.
Thyroid hormone test. With a disease, their amount in the blood is reduced.
Computed tomography of the brain. It is carried out in order to exclude tumor formations.
X-ray. To detect thinning of the bones.
Gynecological examination. It is carried out to exclude organic causes of menstrual irregularities.

Treatment of anorexia

To combat the disease, complex therapy is used, each stage of which is very important for a complete recovery. Treatment is aimed at improving the patient's somatic condition. The emphasis is on behavioral, cognitive and family therapy, with medication being a complementary measure. Alimentary rehabilitation is mandatory, actions are taken to restore weight.

Primary therapy

If the patient turns to the doctor himself and realizes that he has problems, then the treatment can be outpatient, but in most cases hospitalization and a long stay in the hospital are required. Treatment is carried out in several mandatory stages:

Non-specific. 2-3 weeks. Requires strict adherence to bed rest and the appointment of an individual diet. So that the patient does not refuse food, insulin is injected intramuscularly, adding 4 units per day. An hour after the injection, he has an appetite. If the patient refuses to eat, he is transferred to compulsory treatment, a solution of glucose with insulin is injected intravenously, and fed through a tube.
Specific. It begins when the patient gains 2-3 kg. The duration of specific therapy is 7-9 weeks. The half-bed mode is observed, smoothly transferred to the usual one. Psychotherapy begins, the patient is explained the consequences of fasting, family sessions are held.

Individual diet

The meal plan is developed taking into account the physiological and mental characteristics of each patient. The table is taken as a basis No. 11 according to Pevzner. It aims to restore the chemical composition of tissues and the proper functioning of the cells in the body. Features of an individual diet:

The primary calorie content of the daily diet at the nonspecific stage of treatment is 500 kcal.
Prescribed 6 meals for 50-100 g. First, give all the liquid, diluted juices. Later, grated dishes are added. The diet consists of compotes, jelly, smoothies, jellies, liquid cereals in water with a small amount of milk, baby food, cottage cheese, weak meat and fish broths.
The hospital staff makes sure that the patient does not spit food.
Atropine may be administered subcutaneously to prevent vomiting.
When a specific stage of treatment begins, the patient is transferred to a vegetarian and then a high-calorie diet. Gradually, steam and boiled fish, meat chopped with a blender, aspic dishes, omelets, pates, salads are introduced into the diet.

Drug treatment

Taking medications for an eating disorder is an additional but very important step in therapy. There are no drugs that could eliminate the disease itself, but drugs are prescribed that fight mental manifestations and a number of consequences that the disease causes. With such a diagnosis, the patient can be assigned:

hormonal drugs;
tranquilizers;
antidepressants;
vitamin and mineral complexes.

Hormonal drugs

Such drugs are usually prescribed to women to restore the menstrual cycle and prevent pregnancy, which is highly undesirable during the treatment of anorexia and can have a negative effect on the body. In addition, weight gain is one of the side effects of hormonal drugs. If the patient has anorexia nervosa, they may be prescribed:

Duphaston;
Dexamethasone;
Klostilbegit.

Tranquilizers

Drugs in this group are prescribed to overcome anxiety and tension. Such medicines work quickly and help the patient to take a break from obsessive thoughts, to relax. Drugs in this group:

Alprazolam. Relaxes, improves mood, stabilizes the hypothalamus.
Grandaxin. A mildly acting tranquilizer that helps to cope with the disease. The drug stimulates thought processes.
Diazepam. Powerful tranquilizing agent, reduces the ability to resist.

Antidepressants for mental health problems

In most cases, anorexia disease is accompanied by depression and severe depression. Antidepressants and antipsychotics effectively correct the mental state. The patient can be assigned:

Amitriptyline. Improves mood, slightly stimulates appetite.
Elzepam. It has a sedative effect and helps to optimize food intake.

Vitamins and minerals

It is difficult to ensure the access of all necessary substances to the body from food even with a normal diet, therefore, the patient must be prescribed complex medications. The funds must necessarily contain vitamins B12, A, E and D, iron, folic acid, potassium, sodium, magnesium and zinc. The presence of all these substances contributes to the normal functioning of the body.

Behavioral and cognitive psychotherapy

This stage is one of the most important treatments for those with anorexia nervosa. Behavioral psychotherapy aims to increase the patient's weight. It includes adherence to bed rest, moderate exercise, reinforcing stimuli, and nutritional therapy. The calorie content of food is gradually increased according to one of the schemes chosen by the doctor. Nutrition is selected so that side effects (edema, disorders of mineral metabolism and damage to the digestive system) are completely excluded.

Cognitive therapy is done to correct a patient's distorted view of their body. As a result, the patient should stop considering himself fat and inferior. Key elements of cognitive therapy:

Restructuring, during which the patient analyzes his own negative thoughts and finds them a refutation. The conclusion obtained in the course of these reflections should be used to correct their own behavior in the future.
Problem solving. The patient must identify each situation and develop different options for getting out of it. After evaluating the effectiveness of each, one should choose the best one, determine the stages of implementation, and implement them. The last stage is to analyze, according to the result obtained, how correctly the solution to the problem was chosen.
Monitoring. The patient is obliged to write down everything related to food intake every day.

Consequences of the disease

Eating disorders are detrimental to the body and do not go unnoticed. Anorexia nervosa can cause the following:

Disorders of the cardiovascular system. Arrhythmia that can lead to sudden death. Fainting and dizziness due to lack of magnesium and potassium, increased heart rate.
Mental disorders. Patients cannot concentrate on something, depression or obsessive-compulsive disorder begins, and the risk of suicide is high.
Skin problems. The integument becomes pale and dry, alopecia begins, small hairs appear on the face and back, and the nails deteriorate.
Endocrine Disorders. Slow metabolism, amenorrhea, infertility, lack of thyroid hormones.
Disorders of the digestive system. Convulsive stomach cramps, chronic constipation, functional dyspepsia, nausea.
Disorders of the central nervous system. Fatigue, depression, decreased performance, alcoholism, decreased concentration, self-isolation, memory impairment, mood swings.
Decreased immunity. Frequent colds with purulent complications, stomatitis, barley.
Other deviations. Osteoporosis, painful frequent fractures, loss of brain mass.

The disease has several options for the outcome, which should be clearly understood by each patient. What does psychogenic anorexia lead to?

recovery;
periodically recurrent course;
death due to irreversible violations of internal organs (5-10% of cases).

Video

What is anorexia, why and who gets it? Signs, symptoms, stages of the disease, treatment.

What is anorexia?

The neuropsychiatric type of anorexia is associated with a voluntary refusal to eat. This is contrary to human nature. To live, any living organism needs an influx of energy. For a person, this is food, it gives him the necessary strength, which allows him to maintain his physical and mental health in good condition.

If the body systematically lacks the substances it needs, it ceases to function normally, and dystrophy sets in. The consequences of a clear depletion of the body (cachexia) are slow heart function, low blood pressure and body temperature, and bluish fingers.

The person looks like a literally living corpse. When ribs show through the skin, arms and legs look like blades of grass, movement is difficult. Sparse hair on the skull, deep sunken eyes on the face. All internal organs atrophy, the normal functioning of the nervous system and psyche is disrupted. Decreases sexual desire, reproductive function fades away, the body gradually stops its activity.

There are many cases in history when people died because there was nothing to eat. For example, in besieged Leningrad (September 8, 1941 - January 27, 1944) hundreds of thousands of civilians died from mass starvation. But it turns out that there are individuals who voluntarily doom themselves to hunger. And all because of the false idea that an overly thin figure is fashionable.

Unfortunately, fashion is not only an engine of progress, but also an example of great human delusions. Confirmation is anorexia. This neuropsychiatric illness is the opposite of the other extreme, excessive overeating (bulimia).

The prevailing opinion in society is that excessive weight is bad. People, especially public ones, are trying to get rid of extra pounds. But excessive thinness achieved by artificial fasting is not the best option for a figure, let alone health. Everything is good in moderation. And when it is not there, the nervous system and psyche of a person suffers from various health diets.

It is not only social reasons (the demand for skinny women) that lead to anorexia. Biological (genetics) and medical problems may be involved. Let's say problems with the gastrointestinal tract, when, for various reasons, the body rejects food. It is also necessary to take into account the peculiar features of the person who decided to live his life in a hungry mode.

The consequences of anorexia are very sad. This is completely destroyed health and often premature death in the prime of life. A fifth of patients die due to heart failure, due to mental disorders, many commit suicide.

Patients with anorexia consistently go through three stages of their illness: from mild to severe condition. Let's take a closer look at how this happens.

The stages of anorexia are as follows:

Dissatisfaction with yourself... She (he) is unhappy with her appearance: the figure is too fat, the face and lips are plump. “Well, no zest in the physique! You need to go on a diet. " Finding the right diet can take several years.
Starvation... At this stage, all thoughts are only about not eating too much. A forced hunger strike leads to dramatic weight loss. Losing weight is obvious, along with it, the first signs of a neuropsychic illness appear.
Depletion... When half or more body weight is lost. Pathological changes occur in all internal organs. The stomach cannot take food, reacts to it with vomiting. The patient is already on the verge of death.

It's important to know! These days, anorexia can be called a disease of fashion. People who strive to live up to ridiculous fashion standards are putting their lives in grave danger.

Who is affected by anorexia?

Everyone knows the look of emaciated girls to the limit. Such people often appear on television. More than 70% of the representatives of the modeling business suffer from exhaustion. Sometimes it seems that they only wander along the catwalk with an effort of will, hiding their match-legs behind chic outfits.

Anorexia as a disease has been known since ancient times. In ancient Greece, girls had to correspond to the then accepted standard of beauty. It is a graceful, flexible figure. This criterion of beauty forced fatties to go on a strict diet. Severe hunger strikes associated with religious fasts also led to forced weight loss.

The reason for anorexia these days is the "squeak" of fashion, which appeared in the middle of the last century. It all began with the British supermodel and singer Leslie Hornby, better known as Twiggy (reed). Her slender figure has become the envy of many girls. Models on the catwalk began to imitate her and "sat down" on various starvation diets in order to lose their weight. This voluntary refusal of food, which led not only to weight loss, but to dire consequences, doctors gave the name "anorexia" (lack of appetite).

"Twiggy's Syndrome" quickly swept across the world. For example, the "well-wisher" advised the American Rene Heinrich to lose weight. Allegedly too fat to do gymnastics. The girl took the advice seriously. Obsessed with a mania to lose weight, she reacted irresponsibly to her health and fell ill with anorexia. This led to irreversible changes in the body, when the doctors were already powerless. The gymnast died at the age of 22.

Scottish singer, TV presenter Lena Hilda Zavaroni died of anorexia nervosa at the age of 35. Before her death, she weighed only 32 kg. Two model sisters from Uruguay, Lucel Ramos (22 years old) and Eliana Ramos (18 years old), died of exhaustion next to each other. It happened in 2006-2007.

Men also suffer from anorexia nervosa. Handsome Jeremy Glitzer made a rather successful career on the podium, but, having decided to lose weight, brought himself to complete physical exhaustion. At 38, he weighed only 30 kg, died of exhaustion in 2010.

It's important to know! Overdose of certain medications can also lead to anorexia.

The main causes of anorexia

If a person decided to lose weight, went on a diet and, as a result, lost his "fat" kilograms, this is quite normal. But when the hunger strike has become an obsessive desire, there is already a reason to talk about the disease. All signs of anorexia should be divided into medical and psychological indicators.

Biological causes of anorexia

Such unfavorable factors of a biological nature include:

Genetic abnormalities... Mutation of genes responsible for cholesterol content can provoke anorexia. Scientists recently noticed that people who are malnourished have high blood levels of this steroid. The conclusion is paradoxical: refusal to eat leads to an increased mood.
... With esophageal and liver disease, when there is a persistent aversion to food, significant weight loss (anorexia) can be a harbinger of stomach cancer, hepatitis, or jaundice.
Heart failure... Cardiac glycosides (herbal medicines), in reasonable doses, improve heart function. Overdose leads to cardiac depression. Against this background, anorexia may develop.
Other diseases... They include kidney disease, when, due to improper metabolic processes, protein accumulates in them, and is not excreted along with urine. Pulmonary insufficiency, various diseases of the endocrine system, malignant formations, diseases of the oral cavity (hard to eat) can also lead to the development of anorexia.
Drug overdose... Antidepressants, tranquilizers, narcotic drugs and some others depress the central nervous system. Systematic use causes a persistent lack of appetite. Against this background, a neuropsychiatric illness develops, associated with refusal to eat.

It's important to know! The biological signs of anorexia speak of painful processes in the body, they are subject to treatment.

Psychological causes of anorexia

These psychological factors include:

Hyper-care in childhood... Parents care too much about their children, literally feed them. For example, the girl ate a lot of sweets, became fat and clumsy. Peers laugh at her. The child begins to consciously refuse food, as a result, anorexia may develop.
Teenage years... When the girl's figure begins to take on feminine forms, and the boy's - masculine, adolescents pay great attention to their appearance. And it hurts to accept all the comments on this score. The thought that “I am not the same (oh) as others, they laugh at my figure” leads to painful experiences. Girls of curvaceous forms at this age often resort to starvation to bring themselves back to normal. Extremes of hungry diets help to lose weight dramatically, and illness sets in.
Stress... When, due to strong experiences associated, for example, with unjustified hopes or the death of a loved one, a person is ready to die, and therefore refuses food.
Traits... The personality can be strong-willed, but the will is directed towards false priorities. Let's say to lose weight and be like a famous Hollywood star. Such stubbornness makes you refuse food, which leads to illness.
Low self-esteem... The feeling of inferiority, when a person is quite critical of himself, is engaged in self-examination, believes that the physique is too heavy, pushes for self-medication. These are different kinds of diets, as a result of which not only weight is lost, but also health, anorexia develops.
Family... Parents love to eat and look quite plump. The child is also very "immodest" build. This leaves an imprint on the character. Anxious and suspicious individuals often resort to severe fasting in such cases. This is a direct path to exhaustion and mental illness.
Dependence on public opinion... It especially affects public people. For example, actresses, singers and runway models. They watch their figure and are especially susceptible to criticism that they do not look very elegant for their profession. It is among them that most of all suffer from anorexia nervosa, which is often fatal.

It's important to know! The psychological factors behind anorexia are often difficult to correct.

How do the symptoms of anorexia appear?

Physiological symptoms include changes in the body. Some are immediately striking, others are determined only during special medical examinations. These include:

Extreme exhaustion... When there is significant weight loss, it can be below normal by up to 50%. The patient looks like just a walking skeleton.
General weakness... It is difficult to move, movements are slow, shortness of breath, frequent fainting, feeling of coldness. This is due to interruptions in the work of the heart and poor circulation.
Thinning hair... The hair on the body becomes thinner, becomes brittle, falls out on the head.
Changes in the genital area... In women, problems with menstruation, up to its complete absence (amenorrhea), in men - with an erection. As a consequence, a decrease in libido or a complete rejection of intimacy.
Drug addiction, alcoholism... Due to excessive intensification of the body with drugs, alcohol or drugs, appetite is disturbed, the patient refuses to eat and brings himself to an extreme degree of exhaustion. As a result, anorexia develops with extremely serious consequences.

Depression... It is characterized by a depressed state when only one negative is seen around. The person believes that he has lost control over his actions, goes into experiences, for example, "I have too much weight, I need to lose weight." Such obsession leads to a neuropsychic disease - anorexia.
Manic thought about losing weight... A person is simply obsessed with the desire to lose weight in any way. Counts calories in food, just not to overeat. Reasonable reason is not taken into account. For months he sits on a starvation diet, bringing himself to complete exhaustion. As a result, he loses weight, becomes dystrophic.
Refusal to eat... When, under any pretext, they shy away from food, they say, I’m already full, I don’t want it anymore. If the person has eaten, he feels guilty that he could not refuse.
Casual clothes... To hide their unnatural thinness, patients with anorexia wear loose-fitting suits and dresses.
Straightforward thinking... Such people do not want to see anything around them, they are not interested in everything. The whole world has narrowed down to just one problem, how to lose weight.
Secluded lifestyle... When the disease is neglected and there are big health problems, such people become secretive, uncommunicative. But even in this state, they do not consider themselves sick.

It's important to know! Skinny, see through, were considered until recently "chic" in the modeling business. However, the fashion for them is passing, as opposed to such "matches" now on the podium, fat women are often "lit".

How to treat exhaustion

For example, you need to support the heart, liver, kidneys. The patient, in fact, needs to be re-taught to eat. To do this, it is necessary to conduct a general strengthening course for the complete restoration of the work of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT). If the patient cannot eat normally, the necessary nutrients are injected intravenously, bypassing the stomach. When the gastrointestinal tract is working normally, a high-calorie table is prescribed so that the patient can gain the desired weight.

Treatment of anorexia is impossible without psychotherapeutic help. It is necessary to correct the views and behavior of the patient. You need to help him get rid of his obsessive state. Let's say he considers himself inferior because he is a bad figure. In this case, you should correct the misperception of your body. This is one of the main conditions that after being discharged from the hospital, a person will not return to "his own tracks", that is, he will not slide back to the old "hungry" life. Here is an important role of family therapy, when in the family circle a person will feel support and full understanding.

Full recovery occurs only in those who have realized their pernicious passion for all kinds of hungry diets. Otherwise, relapses of the disease are possible.

How to treat anorexia - watch the video: