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Causes of Anorexia Nervosa
Although doctors can’t find a specific cause for Anorexia there are many different factors that can lead to a distorted self-image. The most likely cause is continuous pressure from the society and media. Girls are pressured to be thin by watching television and reading magazines, both which portray unhealthily thin models as confident and beautiful. Some people find it very difficult to attain the “perfect” body by dieting alone because of hereditary factors that determine their body shape, and striving to be accepted into society, they turn to starvation.
Low self-esteem, depression, perfectionism, abuse and repressed feelings are also the leading traits in most anorexics. Victims of anorexia try so hard to control everything around them and often work very hard at school or their jobs. They live with the constant fear of becoming “fat” and with the eccentric need for control they have had all their lives, they starve themselves in order not to lose control of the one fear they are struggling with. Most anorexics set unrealistic goals which cause low self-esteem and stress, their loss of control has a severe effect on them and they attempt to regain it by restricting food.
Abuse victims are very likely to develop anorexia, a person who has been violated in the past has no feelings of trust or control in their future, and they feel as though their violator is controlling their whole lives even if the abuse had happened during childhood. Anorexics feel that restricting all food is the only way in which they can control their bodies and lives.
The anorexic’s family is an important factor that can lead to a severe case of the disease. Anorexia is most likely to appear in adolescents as they are striving for independence and want to differentiate themselves from their families. Most people who struggle with the disorder have over controlling families who constantly criticize them of their weight and appearance.
Genetic factors are said to increase the risk of developing anorexia by 56 percent, although doctors aren’t certain of what the exact factor may be. Anorexia is also most likely to develop in families with a history of depression or alcohol, but it is often triggered by one of the other factors mentioned above. The risk of anorexia can also increase if a person with a genetic history of the disease befriends another anorexic who influences them to starve themselves and therefore triggers the underlying illness.
Reactions from others who comment on weight loss of the anorexic are a perpetual factor once the disease has developed. Comments from family members and friends will satisfy their emotional needs as well as the recently obtained temporary self-confidence and power they feel over controlling their weight.
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Diagnosis and Prevention
Anorexia is a fairly complicated disease to diagnose as the victims of this illness rarely make it known that they are sick. Besides the obvious physical signs, such as rapid weight loss, there are many other ways to tell if a friend or family member is suffering from Anorexia other than asking the victims, as they will do whatever it takes to conceal their illness; anorexics are often in denial of their condition and refuse to admit they have a problem. The American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR) has four criteria doctors and professionals use to diagnose anorexia. If the patient refuses to maintain a weight above the healthy weight for their age according to body mass index and maintains a body weight less than 85 percent of their BMI, if the patient has a great fear of gaining weight even if though they are under the normal required weight for their age, if they have a distorted self-image, and if women miss three consecutive menstrual periods (this is the case for 90 percent of anorexics).
The main physical signs of Anorexia that are easy to pick up on are very few, most of the signs will develop after the disease has worsened but some can be diagnosed earlier. Gastrointestinal complications such as constipation and abdominal pain are the most common symptoms of Anorexia. The metabolism of the sufferer is slowed down and although they might not complain of an upset stomach in effort to hide their illness, some visible signs of their physical pain might be obvious. Binge/purge anorexics may disappear to the bathroom frequently after meals and may hoard high-fat food in secret, the pre-signs of this disease wouldn’t be as obvious as anorexia but scars on the back of the knuckles called the “Russell’s sign” can reveal a bulimic.
Anemia is common in restrictive anorexic victims, and their skin may appear translucent. One common physical sign in anorexics are brittle and yellow nails as well as their skin which will appear to be dry and flaky with a yellowish tinge. Loss of hair on the head is prominent in an anorexic as they have not had enough nutrition to fuel most cells in their body but contrarily, a fine downy hair will develop all over the face, back, arms and legs. Psychological signs might be easy to detect like fatigue, decrease in concentration, irritability and lack of sleep during the night. They may develop an obsessive compulsive disorder, hoard food or cook elaborate meals for family or friends but refuse to eat any of it. Anorexics often find ways of destroying their food, the most obvious being cutting it into tiny pieces or hiding it away.
There is no specific way to prevent anorexia except a good education about food and healthy living to children earlier in life. Discovering the early signs of anorexia and getting treated earlier is the most successful way to treat a patient and prevent later complications. Parents should not use food as punishment for children and they shouldn’t associate being thin with being popular or happy. That way, the child will grow healthily and will have a fairly decreased risk of becoming anorexic when he or she is older.
- Anorexics who use a large quantity of laxatives or who frequently vomit are at great risk for electrolyte imbalance, which can have life-threatening consequences.
- Anemia is frequently found in anorexic patients. In addition to having fewer red blood cells, people with anorexia tend to have lower numbers of white blood cells, which play a major role in protecting the body from developing infections. Suppressed immunity and a high risk for infection are suspected but not clinically proven.
- Physical symptoms, other than the obvious loss of weight, can be seen. Anorexia can cause a lower body temperature as well as dry, flaky skin that takes on a yellow tinge. Fine, downy hair grows on the face, back, arms, and legs. Despite this new hair growth, loss of hair on the head is not uncommon. Nails can become brittle. Frequent vomiting can erode dental enamel and eventually lead to tooth loss.
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Anorexia Prognosis
If an anorexic is willing to go through treatment earlier, complications later in life are very less likely. 10 percent of untreated anorexics are prone to death, whereas half of treated patients reverse complications and regain weight. ¼ of anorexia patients may relapse and may deal with few complications in later life, and the other ¼ have several relapses of the disease and will suffer from many drawbacks that go hand-in-hand with anorexia nervosa.
The obstacles that anorexia causes for younger patients developing the disease are much easier to overcome than those of older patients who have suffered with the disease for long. The most common complications of anorexia include; suicide, cardiac arrest, electrolyte imbalance and osteoporosis; many other diseases can blossom from anorexia as well but are far less popular than the four mentioned above.
Anorexics often commit suicide because their lack of nutrition worsens their depressive state, they usually have a sense of low self-worth, which leads to self-harm.
Electrolyte imbalance in the body can cause cardiac arrest because the heart of an anorexic is not being supplied with the nutrition it needs. In order to function properly, the human heart needs to be fueled by a sufficient amount of potassium, sodium, calcium, and magnesium; when a human restricts their food intake for a long period of time, the heart stops beating because of its lack of the four essential nutrients it needs.
Osteoporosis is very common in anorexics, especially in young growing girls who develop the illness; the disease affects the bones, thinning and weakening them as a result of calcium depletion.
Although 80 percent have the ability to recover from the illness, 20 percent experience the disease and other complications for the rest of their lives. In order to treat anorexia, intense therapy is needed for several months, sometimes for years. Treatment does not assure that the patient will not experience a relapse or several in the future, but it does tremendously decrease the risk of heart failure or other associated diseases when the patient gets older.
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