Eating Disorder or a Phobia?

You are already crossing the line between normal dieting and an eating disorder if you are doing the following:

1. You exercise for 2 hours because you took one bite in one slice of calorie packed cream pie.
2. You would want to skip family or office events where you will have a strong urge to eat.
3. You get depressed when you look at the mirror because all you see is fat, fat, fat.
4. You are afraid to eat and you are afraid to get fat.
5. You start checking the labels for the calorie content of everything that you eat.

If you see these signs, take them as red flags. These are the early signs of an Anorexia Nervosa.

If you look at the signs, you will ask yourself: Is Anorexia Nervosa an eating disorder or a phobia on food?

Anorexia in Teens

Does your Teenager has Anorexia Nervosa?

Do you notice an unusual eating behavior in your teenager? Does she look depressed and obsessed with being thin? Does you child makes excuses to skip meals?

If you have doubts if your teenager is suffering from Anorexia Nervosa, you should take the necessary steps to ascertain your doubts. Why? Because of the following reasons: 1) Statistics shows us that 5 out of 10 people suffering from Anorexia Nervosa die and 2) Anorexia Nervosa can have severe and permanent damage to the person. It should not be taken seriously especially when the suspected patient is a teenager because those in the teen age years are more prone to the disorder.

The Challenge of Establishing that Anorexia Nervosa is present

Anorexia Nervosa is a disease that is hard to diagnose because the patient usually denies that she has the disease. On the other hand, there are also cases wherein the patient didn’t really know that she is already suffering from Anorexia Nervosa. For teen age cases, it should be the parents or the guardian who should be responsible to take the patient to a medical practitioner specializing on the disease so the proper diagnosis and the treatment can be established.

Anorexia Nervosa: Myths and Facts

Do you think being thin is fashionable? Are you obsessed with being thin?

Did you ever try starving yourself so you will not gain weight?

Was there a time when you try to do so much exercise so you can burn all the fats in your body?

Does your life revolve around being thin to be attractive?

If your answer to any of the questions above is yes, then you might have to rethink the way you look at dieting or even worse, you may need to see a doctor. Why? You might be suffering from Anorexia Nervosa. Of course you know what Anorexia Nervosa is. It is one of the most famous eating disorders. Despite being widely used, there are still myths lurking around about Anorexia Nervosa.

Myth #1: Anorexia Nervosa is just a condition for Models and Movie Actresses

Anorexia Nervosa Diagnosis

The Challenge of Diagnosing Anorexia Nervosa

Any secret will be spilled over on the right time…

People with Anorexia Nervosa keeps their condition as a secret and usually that secret is only made known once the patient’s condition is already severe.

This is the where the challenge is.

What are the challenges in the diagnosing the disease?

1. Denial of the patient that she is suffering from Anorexia Nervosa and needs medical attention

People who are suffering from Anorexia Nervosa usually deny the fact that they are sick. Patient usually insists that they are just undergoing the usual diet. Some even hides the disorder and pretends to be normal. The stigma of being diagnosed with Anorexia Nervosa is like a taboo that people wouldn’t want to admit it. Even family members of those inflicted with Anorexia Nervosa usually would want to hide it because of the social stigma that comes with the disorder.

Fast Facts about Anorexia Nervosa

Would you actually believe if I tell you that:

1. There are some people who would starve themselves just to be super thin.
2. There are some people who would eat and will push themselves to throw up because they are afraid that they might get fat by what they have eaten
3. There are some people who would have queer eating rituals like throwing food so others will not notice that they are not eating at all.
4. There are some people who thinks that the only means to be attractive is to be thin.

Weird but yes there are some who are like that.

It is possible. These are some of the signs of Anorexia Nervosa. Anorexia Nervosa is a common term that we use often to refer to an eating disorder. However, do we really know what Anorexia Nervosa is? How deadly it is and how our society is a big stage where everyone is pushed to have this condition? Everyone can be pushed and be a victim…

The Red Flags to Watch Out For

Movie Stars and Models - You see them in televisions. You look at their bodies. Then you look at yourself. You sigh. All you see is fat. Envy is already nipping at your fingertips. You asked yourself: Why on earth can’t I have the same body?

Be careful. Be very careful. This envy may lead to the deadly – Anorexia Nervosa.

What is Anorexia Nervosa?
Anorexia Nervosa is an eating disorder wherein the person becomes obsessed with getting thin. The whole world of a person with Anorexia Nervosa revolves on getting the ultimate prize – being thin. Problem is that the ultimate prize is a moving prize. Once they get their target weight, it will be moved on to a much lower weight. It is a continuous cycle that will never stop unless the person gets the proper medical and psychological care.

What are the red flags that point it is Anorexia Nervosa?

Symptoms of Anorexia Nervosa

How can you tell?

They are depressed. They are obsessed with getting thin. No matter how much you comfort they still feel that they are not good looking and they are so fat. You sometimes wonder if they are eating at all because of the drastic drop in their weight. They frequent the washroom after meals.

Is your family member suffering from Anorexia Nervosa?

The symptoms that are mentioned above are just some of the common symptoms that a person with Anorexia Nervosa has. Early detection of the disorder increases the chances of survival of the patient.

So, what is Anorexia Nervosa in the first place?

Anorexia Nervosa is a condition wherein the patient experiences an aversion to food because of their freight to be fat. The person lives in a world that is guided by weight and has an obsession to be thin. It an eating disorder. Anorexia Nervosa is extreme and unhealthy dieting which can drive the person to starve herself.

How can you tell is somebody is suffering from Anorexia Nervosa?

Anorexia Nervosa’s symptoms are divided into different categories: physical, behavioral and psychological.

Physical Symptoms of Anorexia Nervosa

Anorexia Nervosa Treatment

Anorexia Nervosa Treatment: Physiological and Psychological

You see them continuously lose weight and you have verified the signs. All are leading to only one thing – Anorexia Nervosa.

Yes, Anorexia Nervosa is lethal. Immediate treatment is needed once a person was diagnosed to have the disorder.

What to do? Seek treatment and have the person undergo a recovery program.

What are the treatments available for people with Anorexia Nervosa?

There are standard treatments for people suffering from Anorexia Nervosa.

Treatment #1: Physiological Treatment

Physiological treatment depends on the stage and the severity of Anorexia Nervosa. Patients that are still in the early stages of the disease might not need confinement in a hospital because the damage to the organs may not be that serious yet.

On the other hand, for advanced cases of the disorder, there is a need for the patient to be hospitalized because the eating disorder would have damaged some internal organs already like the heart or it may already have resulted to malnutrition. Patients who are in the advanced stages need immediate medical attention to prevent the disease from making permanent and irreversible damage to the physical body of the person.

Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia

Anorexia Nervosa vs. Bulimia:

Are you a patient of any of these?

Thin- four words that can either make or break a person.

Weight is our society’s standards of beauty. If you are thin, you are beautiful. You are admired. You get complements wherever you go. If you are fat, you are laughed at. You are ridiculed. You are not beautiful. You are not good enough.

This is the sad reality.

If you are vain, you would definitely be doing all sorts of things just to be thin and that makes you are a very vulnerable candidate for eating disorders like Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia.

Anorexia Nervosa

So what is Anorexia Nervosa? Is this a fab condition to be into? This is a big No. Anorexia Nervosa is never fabulous. It is deadly. It is lethal. It can kill you.

Cause of Anorexia Nervosa

Anorexia Nervosa: What Brought About the Disease?

We see people with Anorexia Nervosa. We can tell the symptoms of the disorder. We know how deadly the disease is. However, we ask ourselves, how did it happen? What brought about Anorexia Nervosa?

There are various theories on the real cause of the disease. However, there are no definitive answers yet on how the disease develops into Anorexia Nervosa. There can be only one cause of there can be multiple causes that drives a person to have Anorexia Nervosa.

We can find comfort in the following theories:

Theory #1: Anorexia Nervosa is a caused by biological factors