Anorexia nervosa - causes, symptoms and treatment

Anorexia is a mental illness, the main symptoms of which are lack of appetite anda complete or partial refusal of food at an objective human need for nutrition. As a consequence, this leads to a significant loss of body weight and causes serious concomitant diseases.

Causes of eating disorder ^

In each case, the causes can be different:

• most often anorexia is associated with changes in the psyche in adolescence in the form of teenage depression, anxiety, sometimes with a failure in a love relationship;
• teenage anorexia is associated with the desire of teenage girls to look like their favorite actresses, illusory hopes for improving appearance, figure, beautiful life;
• as a symptom of anorexia is possible in patients with schizophrenia and depressive states;
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• for brain tumors;
• for lung diseases;
• for diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.

Anorexia and bulimia are two sides of the same mental pathology, because bulimia is also associated with discontent with its physical form. But in the case of bulimia, a sick person not only likes to eat, but in this way "jams" their troubles, experiencing joy from eating. Subsequently, this leads to obesity and the development of depression.

However, not only teenagers are able to develop anorexia. Statistics show that it is registered in 1% of adult women and 0.2% of men, there are cases of anorexia and in children aged 8 - 12 years. The first symptoms are often detected in women during a visit to a gynecologist with complaints of menstrual dysfunction, in men - at a doctor's appointment - an andrologist or sex therapist about a decrease in potency.

Anorexia nervosa: symptoms, signs, stages ^

The frequency of this form of the disease has markedly increased in recent years. Patients with anorexia nervosa suffer from anxiety disorders of the psyche. In this case, girls and young women are firmly convinced that they have excess weight and a tendency to obesity, so they feel real hatred for their appearance and figure.

According to the observation of psychologists, most of the patients with anorexia are volitional natures, capable of subordinating everything to their idea in life. To lose weight, they apply debilitating hunger diets, until they completely give up food and perform heavy physical exercises. As a result of such actions, the body weight dangerously decreases by 20% or more, but the patients do not notice it and continue to starve.

In order not to eat, anorexics use different methods and tricks: cause vomiting, take laxatives, shift food from their plates to other family members. But, strangely enough, at the same time they gladly feed younger siblings and give their food to animals. Methods of losing weight are carefully hidden by patients from relatives and a doctor. And parents, after trying all sorts of persuasions and exhortations, stop paying attention, explaining this by the peculiarities of adolescence.

The main symptoms of the disease:

• Appearance of an extremely exhausted person makes it easy to suspect anorexia, since after losing fat tissue muscle atrophy occurs and the nutrition of the internal organs is disturbed.
• Disorders of the endocrine system appear in the form of amenorrhea( absence of menstruation) in women.
• Anorexia in men is manifested by a marked decrease in potency and lack of sexual desire.
• Changes in the metabolism gradually leads to hair loss, increased brittleness of the nails, and sharp aging of the skin.
• The absence of the necessary electrolytes in the heart diet causes various rhythm disturbances, fainting, dizziness.
• The patient has a constant nausea, pain in the stomach.
• The mood worsens, insomnia appears, relatives notice excessive depression, tearfulness, isolation.
• In severe cases, there is a severe depressive condition, which can subsequently lead to suicide.

In the opinion of psychologists, it is extremely important to provide qualified medical assistance to such a patient in a timely manner and begin treatment on time. Otherwise, complete exhaustion( cachexia) will inevitably lead to irreversible changes in internal organs and death.

In the course of anorexia, 3 main stages are distinguished:

• At the initial or 1st stage, the patient has thoughts of his own inferiority due to imaginary fullness, mood depressed, anxious. Often and for a long time he sees himself in the mirror, trying to find the ideal diet, to limit the intake of food.
• In the 2 nd stage, there is persistent starvation. Weight drops to 30%, with euphoria coming, determination to lose weight even more. A sick person convinces himself and others in the absence of his appetite and adds heavy physical loads. There are symptoms that speak of the defeat of internal organs: the cessation of menstruation in women and a decrease in sex drive and spermatogenesis in men, a decrease in blood pressure is detected, the pulse slows down.
• In the third stage of the cachectic stage, irreversible changes in internal organs appear. Usually it occurs when there is no treatment after 1.5-2 years. Weight is reduced by 50 percent or more of the original weight. The patient has protein-free edema, and a violation of the water-salt balance significantly reduces the level of potassium in the blood. This stage is already irreversible, as pathological changes lead to a critical disruption of the work of all organs and systems, causing the onset of a fatal outcome.

Modern treatment of anorexia ^

For effective treatment of anorexia( especially nervous) it is extremely important to provide an integrated approach. In order to correct the violations, it is necessary to involve various experienced specialists: psychologist, psychiatrist, therapist, nutritionist, endocrinologist and others. Advanced scientists suggest creating special centers for the rehabilitation of such patients.

• In order to improve the physical state, behavioral psychotherapy is conducted. The psychotherapeutic method( cognitive psychotherapy) is extremely necessary for the patient to exclude negative thoughts and restore an adequate attitude to one's own body.
• In cognitive psychotherapy, patients are asked to find evidence of infidelity for themselves and suggest ways to solve the problem. The method involves monitoring the therapy. In special diaries of self-control, patients keep regular records of food intake, describe their state of health and surroundings.
• One of the methods of choosing anorexia treatment can be individual or group hypnosis sessions that have proven to be excellent results.
• Modern antidepressants are also widely used in the complex treatment of the disease, but their use must be strictly individual and carried out strictly according to the doctor's prescription.
• In the success of the rehabilitation of anorexic patients, the role of the family and close friends is extremely great, as patients with anorexia badly need emotional support and care. Often a psychologist is forced to conduct family psychotherapy in order to solve problems with relatives.
• To restore the body weight of anorexic drugs, a special diet and methods of eating are used. At the same time the calorie content of food should increase gradually. In severe cases, the parenteral method of administering nutritional mixtures is used( intravenously, ready-made standard sterile solutions containing the required amount of proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals) are dripped.
• When endocrine system is affected, hormone therapy can be administered only after recovery of body weight.

The prognosis of treatment is generally favorable, but largely depends on the stage of the disease in which it is started. Statistical data show that recovery can be achieved in 40% of cases, improvement of the condition in 30%, in 24% of patients there is a transition to chronic long-term course with relapses of the disease. Unfortunately, 6% of patients die from exhaustion or suicide.
We also recommend you to watch a video of the famous psychotherapist Elman Osmanov about symptoms and modern methods of depression treatment: