Eating disorders: Anorexia. Reasons and how to diagnose?

Not treated can lead even to death. And it’s not easy to diagnose it, mostly because in most cases those who suffer from anorexia don’t admit it to themselves. It’s worth to stay alert.

Anorexia is an eating disorder which is characterized by intentional weight loss. Most frequently it affects young women.

Symptoms of anorexia are: strict diet, exhaustive physical exercises, self-induced vomiting, using laxatives or drugs that reduce appetite.

People suffering from anorexia are often having tendency to perfectionism, they are very ambitious and polite. They want to be the best in everything they do, they need that to please others, while they keep to be disappointed with themselves. They’re filled with certainty that they’re still not who they would like to be, they treat even smallest failures as a personal defeat.

Weber and Stierlin claim that in families of anorectics duties and rules are more important than closeness and family bond. Parents control their feelings and at the same time they don’t let their children to express theirs. In these families individual issues aren’t important, problems aren’t solved.

Children’s task is to satisfy parent’s needs. Expectations can apply to education, fulfilling dreams, achieving (from parent’s point of view) a good position in society. Children aren’t treated individually, it’s not important who they are or who they would like to be. In such families mothers are controlling and judgmental, daughters are feeling big intensity of anger which they can’t and are not able to express.

Anorexia is very hard to be cured permanently, but chances for that are growing when it’s diagnosed on time.

Are you afraid that you or someone in your close surrounding can struggle with this disorder?

How to recognize anorexia?

Here are symptoms connected with nutrition, on which you should pay particular attention:

• following a strict diet despite the slim figure
• obsessive calories counting
• lying - dissimulating amount of consumed food, excuses for not eating
• constant thinking and talking about food
• strange behaviors connected with eating - avoiding eating together with friends or in public places.

Remember that psychotherapy is most helpful in treating anorexia.

*This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The information contained herein is not a substitute for and should never be relied upon for professional medical advice. Always talk to your doctor about the risks and benefits of any treatment.