Anorexia
...y can control what they eat, or in this case don’t eat. This disease usually starts out as a diet and gradually becomes a compulsive disorder to where they become very ill and need treatment. Anorexia suffers sometimes feel guilty if they eat or even drink anything other than water. They have a constant fear of gaining weight, as well as a feeling of being fat, even when their weight is much less than that of other people of the same height. Anorexia is seen mainly in Caucasian women who are high academic achievers and have a goal-oriented family or personality. However, this eating disorder is not more common in higher socioeconomic groups. Some experts have suggested that conflicts within a family may also contribute to anorexia. It is thoughts that anorexia is a way for a child to draw attention away from marital problems, for example, and bring the family back together. Spotting someone that suffers from anorexia can sometimes be hard because sufferers try to hide the disease from everyone. A few red flags to look for are weighing themselves frequently, lying about what they eat, skipping social events, or exercising for hours. Most people that do these things have some sort of eating disorder. They do not like to be around a crowd of people because they feel like someone will notice their severe loss in weight and they feel ashamed. They also avoid social events because food will be served. They want so badly to be thin but they don’t want other people to know that they have a life threatening disease. Most people feel tired, cold, and constipated with severe stomachaches. Other psychologists have suggested that anorexia may be an attempt by young women to gain control and separate from their mothers. The causes, however, are still not well understood. In some cases, prevention may not be possible. Encouraging healthy, realistic attitudes toward weight and diet may be helpful. Sometimes, counseling can help. Long spells without food or water can cause osteoporosis and damage to the heart, liver, kidneys, and brain. Anorexia can impede growth and cause difficulties in concentration. Other effects include, low blood pressure, increased facial hair, fainting or dizziness, hair loss, and dehydration They cost for wanting to be thin can lead to long-term health problems. If left untreated the person may become chronically ill or even die. The more common problems are feet and hand swelling, seizures, dry skin, weak immune system, insomnia, and dental erosion. Anorexia may make you thin but in the process it literally kills your body. After a period of time you body will just shut down. It not only damages your body to its limit, it also breaks you down emotionally and mentally. Some symptoms of Anorexia are weight loss of 15% or greater below the expected weight, inappropriate use of laxatives, enemas, or diuretics in effort to lose weight, self-imposed food intake restrictions, often hidden, absence of menstruation, loss of fatty tissue, low blood pressure, dental cavities may be present with self-induced vomiting, blotchy or yellow skin, depression, and much more. Most individuals with anorexia refuse to recognize that they have an eating disorder. Diagnosis is based upon ruling out other causes of endocrine, metabolic, and central nervous system abnormalities to explain the weight loss. Some tests that can be used to detect this disease are chem.-20, urinalysis, and ECG. The biggest challenge in treating anorexia nervosa is having the patient recognize that the eating disorder is in itself, a problem, not a solution to ...