What is anorexia nervosa?

Anorexia nervosa, also known as just anorexia, is an eating disorder. This disorder
makes you obsess about your weight and food. If you have this problem, you may
have a warped body image. You may see yourself as fat even though you have a
very low body weight.

With anorexia, you may use unusual eating habits to cope with stress, anxiety, and
low self-esteem. Limiting food may give you a sense of control over your life.

This problem affects more women than men. It often starts during the teenage
years. The number of young women between the ages of 15 to 19 who have
anorexia nervosa has increased every 10 years since 1930.

What causes anorexia nervosa?

Experts don’t know what causes anorexia. It often begins as regular dieting. Over
time it can lead to extreme and unhealthy weight loss. You may use extreme
dieting and food limiting tricks due to fear of getting fat.

Anorexia has two subtypes:

 Restrictor type. People with this type of anorexia severely limit how much
food they eat. This usually includes foods high in carbohydrates and fats.
 Bulimic (binging and purging) type. People with bulimia eat too much
food and then make themselves throw up. They may take large amounts of
laxatives or other methods to clear their bowels.

Other things that may play a role in anorexia are:

 Social attitudes
 Family influences
 Genetics
 Brain chemical imbalances
 Developmental issues

You may also be at risk if you take part in certain sports and activities that focus on
body shape and size. These include:

 Ballet
  Bodybuilding
 Cheerleading
 Figure skating
 Gymnastics
 Jockeying
 Modeling
 Wrestling

What are the symptoms of anorexia nervosa?

Anorexia can cause a variety of symptoms. They may be related to food or weight.
They may be physical or emotional.

Food or weight-related symptoms can include:

 Altered body image

 Low body weight
 Extreme fear of becoming fat
 Excessive physical activity
 Denial of hunger
 Fixation with food preparation
 Unusual eating behaviors

Physical symptoms can include:

 Poor nutritional status

 Dehydration
 Being very thin
 Stomach pain or bloating
 Constipation
 Lethargy or fatigue
 Unable to handle cold temperatures
 Fine, downy body hair (called lanugo)
 Dry or yellowish skin
 Thinning hair
 Brittle nails

Emotional symptoms can include:

 Withdrawal from social situations

  Loss of interest in sex
 Irritability
 Mood changes
 Depression

How is anorexia nervosa treated?

Treatment for anorexia can depend on your age, overall health, medical history,
symptoms, and other factors. Urgent medical care may be needed for physical problems.
Nutrition counseling can help you learn how to make healthy food choices. It can also help
bring you back to a healthy weight.

Therapy can help you learn how to deal with emotions. It can also help you
improve your coping skills and adopt healthy habits. Therapy can be done one-on-
one, with your family, or with a group. Some medicines can also help to treat
mental health problems such as depression and anxiety.

bulimia
Bulimia (boo-LEE-me-uh) nervosa, commonly called bulimia, is a serious, potentially
life-threatening eating disorder. People with bulimia may secretly binge — eating large
amounts of food with a loss of control over the eating — and then purge, trying to get rid
of the extra calories in an unhealthy way.

To get rid of calories and prevent weight gain, people with bulimia may use different
methods. For example, you may regularly self-induce vomiting or misuse laxatives,
weight-loss supplements, diuretics or enemas after bingeing. Or you may use other
ways to rid yourself of calories and prevent weight gain, such as fasting, strict dieting or
excessive exercise.

Bulimia signs and symptoms may include:

 Being preoccupied with your body shape and weight

 Living in fear of gaining weight
 Repeated episodes of eating abnormally large amounts of food in one sitting
 Feeling a loss of control during bingeing — like you can't stop eating or can't
control what you eat
 Forcing yourself to vomit or exercising too much to keep from gaining weight
after bingeing
 Using laxatives, diuretics or enemas after eating when they're not needed
  Fasting, restricting calories or avoiding certain foods between binges
 Using dietary supplements or herbal products excessively for weight loss

Risk factors
Girls and women are more likely to have bulimia than boys and men are. Bulimia often
begins in the late teens or early adulthood.

Factors that increase your risk of bulimia may include:

 Biology. People with first-degree relatives (siblings, parents or children)

with an eating disorder may be more likely to develop an eating disorder,
suggesting a possible genetic link. Being overweight as a child or teen may
increase the risk.
 Psychological and emotional issues. Psychological and emotional
problems, such as depression, anxiety disorders or substance use disorders
are closely linked with eating disorders. People with bulimia may feel
negatively about themselves. In some cases, traumatic events and
environmental stress may be contributing factors.
 Dieting. People who diet are at higher risk of developing eating disorders.
Many people with bulimia severely restrict calories between binge episodes,
which may trigger an urge to again binge eat and then purge. Other triggers
for bingeing can include stress, poor body self-image, food and boredom.

Complications
Bulimia may cause numerous serious and even life-threatening complications. Possible
complications include:

 Negative self-esteem and problems with relationships and social functioning

 Dehydration, which can lead to major medical problems, such as kidney
failure
 Heart problems, such as an irregular heartbeat or heart failure
 Severe tooth decay and gum disease
 Absent or irregular periods in females
 Digestive problems
  +++Anxiety, depression, personality disorders or bipolar disorder
 Misuse of alcohol or drugs
 Self-injury, suicidal thoughts or suicide

Overview - Binge eating disorder

Binge eating disorder involves regularly eating a lot of food over a short period of time
until you're uncomfortably full.

It's a serious mental health condition where people eat without feeling like they’re in control of
what they’re doing.

Binges are sometimes planned in advance, but can be spontaneous. They are usually done alone,
and may include "special" binge foods. You may feel guilty or ashamed after binge eating.

Men and women of any age can get binge eating disorder, but it often starts when people are in
their 20s or older.

Symptoms of binge eating disorder

The main symptom of binge eating disorder is eating a lot of food in a short time and not being
able to stop when full. Other symptoms include:

 eating when not hungry

 eating very fast during a binge
 eating alone or secretly
 feeling depressed, guilty, ashamed or disgusted after binge eating
People who regularly eat in this way may have binge eating disorder.

Warning signs of binge eating disorder in someone else

Someone you care about may have an eating disorder if they:

 change their behaviour or have changes in their mood

 eat a lot of food, very quickly
 try to hide how much they're eating
 store up supplies of food
 put on weight (but this does not happen to everyone with binge eating disorder)