What are effects for anorexia and bulimia??
Question: Someone I know is going through it and I wanted to know what are some effects? Also if they could get online help? Please list any kind of website.
Answers: If this is a teen person or younger direct them to the site below. If not, you can still go there and ask for information on a help site that would be applicable. I have also listed 3 others for you.
I suffered from bulimia. The health complications are endless. Google bulimia.
Aside from tearing out your stomach lining, your teeth will rot from stomach acid. You can have a heart attack. You can literally burn out your esophagus. Like I said, the list is endless.
Read up and get your friend some help. Now.
well ok true story-in febuary, my dance teacher said if i wanted to be a professional, i have to be super skinny even though ii was and so i didnt EAT. I JUST WENT TO DANCE PRACTICE AND SLEPT AND N E WAY, AT A COMPETITION, I FAINTED ON MY DANCE SOLOO :( AND I HAD TO GO TO THE HOSPITAL FOR A WEEK UNTIL I ATE AND I NEVER DID THAT AGAIN. THE DOCTOR AND I HAD AN AGRREEMENT THAT I COULD GO ON A HEALTHY DIET BUT I STILL EAT I NEVER HAD ANOREXIA AGAIN!! YOU CAN DIE IF U HAVE IT BUT IF U LIKE HAVE IT FOR A MONTH!
Well, the long term effect is death. Try that one.
What is anorexia?
Eating habits lie on a continuum, from healthy eating habits on one end, to serious eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia on the other end. We are saturated with messages from the media that advise us to eat a healthy diet and exercise regularly. However, an obsession with losing weight, counting calories, and exercising can lead to an eating disorder, with serious emotional and physical consequences.
According to Ohio State University, the defining signs and symptoms of anorexia are:
* an intense and irrational fear of body fat and weight gain,
* a determination to become thinner and thinner, and
* a misperception of body weight and shape to the extent that the person feels fat even when underweight.
The person with anorexia loses weight and does not realize the dangers of denying food to the body.
“Food, calories, fat grams, weight, and weight management dominate the person's life and attempts to help are often ignored or met with denial or anger.” – Ohio State University Family and Consumer Sciences
What are the signs and symptoms of anorexia?
People who have anorexia try to hide their condition, so others may not notice the signs and symptoms of the eating disorder. The warning signs and symptoms of anorexia include:
* dramatic weight loss; refusal to maintain the minimal normal body weight for one’s age and height
* basing self-worth on body weight and body image
* frequent skipping of meals, with excuses for not eating
* eating only a few foods, especially those low in fat and calories
* making meals for others, but not eating the meals themselves
* frequent weighing of oneself and focusing on tiny fluctuations in weight
* wearing baggy clothing to cover up thinness
* excessive focus on an exercise regimen
* frequent looking in the mirror for flaws
* avoidance of social gatherings where food is involved
* even when thin, complaining about being overweight
* in females, missing three consecutive menstrual periods; in males, decreased sexual desire
What are the types of anorexia?
There are two types of anorexia, based on whether the anorexia is combined with bulimia:
Classic Anorexia (Restricting Anorexia) – The person eats very little and loses weight through self-starvation or excessive exercise. Calories consumed are insufficient to support bodily functions and activities.
Binge-Eating/Purging Anorexia – In addition to cutting the intake of calories, this person also binges and purges (self-induced vomiting, or misuse of laxatives, diuretics, or enemas). The person has symptoms of both anorexia and bulimia. About 50% of people with anorexia also develop bulimia.
What are the effects of anorexia?
The following diagram, from WomensHealth.gov, shows the physical effects of anorexia, as well as some of the emotional effects (see Brain and Nerves in the diagram).
Anorexia
Physical effects of anorexia
In addition to the wide-ranging physical effects of anorexia that are noted in the diagram above, the following can occur:
* Hair loss
* Lowered resistance to illness
* Hypersensitivity to heat
* Less need for sleep than normal eaters
* Severe dehydration, which can result in kidney failure
* Fatigue and overall weakness
In severe cases: heart trouble, low blood pressure, low heart rate, low body temperature, poor circulation, anemia, stunted growth, and even death
Emotional and behavioral effects of anorexia
In addition to the depression, irritability, and bad memory noted in Brain and Nerves in the diagram above, the following emotional and behavioral effects of anorexia can occur:
* Difficulty in concentrating on anything else except weight
* Isolation from family and friends
* Emotional regression to a child-like state
* Feelings of guilt
* Dependence upon alcohol or drugs to handle the negative outlook
What are causes and risk factors for anorexia?
A constellation of risk factors seem to cause anorexia. Sociocultural factors have an especially strong influence. Our culture rewards thinness, and societal approval can be so important that a person will starve to match that cultural ideal.
Social / cultural causes of anorexia
A culture that equates thinness with attractiveness and success pushes people to try to meet that ideal. The media present the ideal woman as ultrathin, and women respond by emulating that vision. However, eating disorders have been around for centuries, so the cultural ideal of thinness is not the only contributing factor to anorexia.
Psychological and emotional causes of anorexia
An individual’s inner feelings, personality characteristics, and personal history can contribute to anorexia. For example:
* The following personality traits are associated with anorexia: perfectionism, obsessiveness, approval-seeking, low self-esteem, withdrawal, irritability, and black-or-white (all-or-nothing) thinking.
* Major events in a person’s life history such as critical transitions or emotional upsets can contribute to anorexia. Relational or early life trauma (sometimes called developmental trauma) affects the brain, which in turn can impact both biology and psychology. Symptoms of trauma can include low self-esteem and obsessive, compulsive eating disorders like anorexia. Physical or sexual abuse can trigger anorexia.
* Interpersonal, or relationship, problems can trigger an eating disorder such as anorexia.
* Other conditions such as depression, anxiety, and ADHD may contribute to anorexia.
* According to mental health experts, the feelings during adolescence of being overwhelmed and powerless can bring about a desire to maintain control in some realm of life, such as control of body weight. Being in total control of what enters the mouth can give an adolescent a feeling of powerfulness. Thus, the period of adolescence may be when anorexia first arises.
Biological causes of anorexia
Studies of the families of people with anorexia suggest that a predisposition to anorexia may be genetically based.
When experts have looked at how the brain works in people with anorexia, they see higher levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin (a brain chemical), which makes the individual withdraw socially and have less desire for food. However, the higher level of serotonin may be a result of the anorexia, rather than a cause.
Other causes of anorexia
See the Mayo Clinic’s risk factors for more about contributing factors for anorexia.
How is anorexia diagnosed?
You can take a brief screening quiz to help you determine whether or not to seek professional help. Try one of these online tests:
* SCOFF questions for eating disorders (St. George's Hospital Medical School, University of London)
* Are You at Risk for an Eating Disorder? (Dartmouth College Health Service)
When you consult a doctor for a possible diagnosis of anorexia, the doctor first makes sure that endocrine, metabolic, and central nervous system disorders do not explain your apparent weight loss. If you do have anorexia, your physical problems are usually the result of not eating.
In addition to diagnosing for anorexia, your doctor may also assess damage already done to the body, with the following tests:
* a physical exam, including a physical history;
* laboratory tests, such as a blood test and urinalysis;
* other specialized tests, such as an electrocardiogram and an x-ray; and
* a psychological evaluation.
The U.S. National Eating Disorders Association provides a list of recommended laboratory tests.
The medical profession uses the following criteria for the diagnosis of anorexia:
* Your weight is 15% or more below normal for your age and height.
* You have an intense fear of being fat or gaining weight, even though you are underweight.
* You have a distorted image of your body and deny being underweight.
* (For women) You have missed at least 3 menstrual periods in a row.
What are the common treatments for anorexia?
Treatment for anorexia is multi-faceted and individualized according to your specific problems. The first priority of treatment is to regain physical health; all other treatment follows from that. A treatment program for anorexia commonly involves the following steps:
* Address physical effects of the anorexia
* Gain weight
* Implement a plan for healthy eating
* Adjust to the new eating habits and increased body weight
* Address the psychological underpinnings of the anorexia
* Regaining physical health is essential for working toward psychological health: you can devote yourself to developing a healthier mental state when your body is in a stable, healthy condition.
Psychotherapy as treatment for anorexia
Because a poor body image and low self-esteem underlie anorexia, psychotherapy is an important aspect of treatment for anorexia.
Individual psychotherapy addresses the emotional underpinnings of anorexia. Therapy helps you to identify concerns, solve problems, overcome fears, and test new skills. Each kind of therapist approaches discussions about anorexia differently, according to specialty.
* Cognitive behavior therapy focuses on the thoughts that envelop food and eating. One of the main goals is for you to become more self-aware of your relationship to food. Your therapist may ask you to keep a food diary or a journal of your thought processes about food.
* Behavior therapy uses rewards and repercussions to change the behavior of self-starvation. The behavior therapist teaches you to substitute relaxation and other coping strategies for the excessive exercising or fasting of anorexia.
* Other types of psychotherapy focus on social and emotional conditions in your life that can lead to low self-esteem, which may in turn contribute to your anorexia. Therapists may include massage or relaxation exercises in your mental health treatment.
* Family therapy looks at the family dynamics that may contribute to your anorexia and often includes some therapy sessions without you. Family therapy may be the solution when the person with anorexia denies the eating disorder.
* Group therapy led by a psychotherapist allows you to talk in a supervised setting with other people who have anorexia. Group therapy helps to reduce the isolation you may feel about your disorder, and group members can support each other in their quest for wellness.
* Support groups are led by trained volunteers or health professionals. To decide if a self-help support group will be effective in your anorexia treatment plan, see What about self-help groups?, from the National Eating Disorders Association. For help in finding a support group, refer to EatingDisorders Help and Support.
Medical care and monitoring for treatment of anorexia
A medical doctor assesses the physical effects of anorexia on your body, helps you to regain physical health, and monitors vital signs, hydration level, and electrolytes during the course of your treatment.
Nutritional counseling for treatment of anorexia
A dietician helps you to develop and follow through on a diet that will sustain you. To increase your weight, the dietician designs balanced meal plans that include the right number of calories for you to gain weight and restore health.
Medications as treatment for anorexia
Medication alone is not effective for the treatment of anorexia, but a medical doctor or psychiatrist may prescribe drugs to help with the symptoms or results of anorexia. Antidepressant drugs treat the depression and anxiety that often accompany (or cause) anorexia. Be sure to read Medications for Treating Depression and Anxiety: Making Informed Choices for a discussion of antidepressant risks. Other drugs for treating anorexia may help you to gain weight or to curb obsessive-compulsive behaviors.
Inpatient treatment centers for anorexia
If the physical effects of anorexia become life-threatening, or the psychological problems are severe, your mental health practitioner or medical doctor may recommend residential, inpatient treatment for anorexia. This may be in a hospital or in an eating disorders treatment center. After the initial, urgent care in a residential center, you will continue anorexia treatment on an outpatient basis.
Where can I find online referrals to anorexia treatment providers?
It can be scary and embarrassing to seek help for an eating disorder. But help is available! Treatment providers who specialize in eating disorders are available all over the world. You can search online, in private, for a referral to an anorexia treatment provider.
Each of the following organizations provides online referrals to help you to find treatment for anorexia (and treatment for other kinds of eating disorders).
* National Eating Disorders Association (USA & Canada)
* Eating Disorder Referral and Information Center (USA; some in Australia, Canada, Germany, Scotland, & UK)
* Pale Reflections Eating disorders community Treatment finder (worldwide)
* Eating Disorders Association (UK)
For more resources for anorexia, see What other help and support for anorexia can I find?, below.
Once you choose your anorexia treatment provider, you might use the guidelines from the U.S. National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA) for questions to ask your treatment provider. In this same article, NEDA also provides questions for parents or family members to ask about anorexia treatment if they are overseeing the treatment of a child or teenager.
What other help and support for anorexia can I find?
Anorexia is difficult to overcome without the support of others. Helpguide has assembled additional resources to help you or a family member to recover from anorexia. These sources of help and support for anorexia include:
* telephone hotlines and helplines for eating disorders
* self-help tips for anorexia
* how to help a family member or friend with anorexia
* support groups for people with eating disorders
* support groups for families of people with eating disorders
Be sure to check out Eating Disorders: Help and Support to make recovery easier.
References and resources for anorexia
Helpguide's series on eating disorders:
Eating Disorders: Types, Warning Signs, and TreatmentEating Disorders: Types, Warning Signs, and Treatment
Eating Disorders: Help and SupportEating Disorders: Help and Support
Anorexia Nervosa: Signs, Symptoms, Causes, Effects, and TreatmentsAnorexia Nervosa: Signs, Symptoms, Causes, Effects and Treatments
Bulimia: Signs, Symptoms, Effects, Treatment, and SupportBulimia: Signs, Symptoms, Effects, Treatment and Support
Binge Eating Disorder: Signs, Symptoms, Causes, Effects and TreatmentsBinge Eating Disorder: Signs, Symptoms, Causes, Effects and Treatments
Anorexia Nervosa – Comprehensive article. See especially the several sections on complementary & alternative therapies. (University of Maryland Medical Center)
Anorexia nervosa – Comprehensive article. (Mayo Clinic)
Anorexia Nervosa – A detailed, yet readable, thirteen-part article. (ehealthMD)
Eating Disorders Awareness: Anorexia Nervosa – A concise discussion of the signs and symptoms of anorexia. (Trisha Rayner, Ohio State University Family and Consumer Sciences)
Anorexia—Easy to Read – Information for women with anorexia, but also very helpful for men. (WomensHealth.gov, National Women’s Health Information Center, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women’s Health)
Eating Disorders: Anorexia and Bulimia – An easy-to-understand article, written for teens. The article discusses symptoms, causes, effects, and treatment. (Nemours Foundation, TeensHealth)
Treatment of anorexia
Anorexia Nervosa Treatment – General treatment guidelines for anorexia nervosa, including psychotherapy, medications, hospitalization, and self‑help resources. (Dr. John Grohol’s Psych Central)
Treatment and recovery – An honest and encouraging look at the treatment and recovery process for an eating disorder. (Anorexia Nervosa and Related Eating Disorders, Inc. (ANRED))
Online referrals to anorexia treatment providers
* National Eating Disorders Association (USA & Canada)
* Eating Disorder Referral and Information Center (USA; some in Australia, Canada, Germany, Scotland, & UK)
* Pale Reflections Eating Disorders Community Treatment Finder (worldwide)
* Eating Disorders Association (UK)
Delving deeper into anorexia
Skeletal Effects of Anorexia – A thorough discussion of anorexia's effects on bone loss and its resulting complications. (National Institutes of Health, Osteoporosis and Related Bones Diseases National Resource Center)
Female Athlete Triad – Describes a triad of symptoms that are common in females who are trying to improve their performance in sports. Disordered eating, amenorrhea, and osteoporosis are the three elements of Female Athlete Triad. The article discusses signs, symptoms, and treatment, as well as what the individual and others can do to halt and remedy the disorder. (Nemours Foundation TeensHealth)
The Many Causes of Eating Disorders? – Discussion of the various causes of eating disorders, including physical or sexual abuse or trauma, obsessive-compulsive behaviors, depression, and anxiety. Includes links to several related online videos. (HealthyPlace.com Eating Disorders Community)
The SCOFF questionnaire: assessment of a new screening tool for eating disorders – A simple, reliable instrument for determining if someone might have an eating disorder. Subsequent research has confirmed the validity of this simple test for anorexia, bulimia, and other eating disorders. (John F. Morgan, Fiona Reid, and J. Hubert Lacey, 1999. British Medical Journal 319:1467-1468 (4 December))
Tina deBenedictis, Ph.D., Jaelline Jaffe, Ph.D., Robert Segal, M.A., and Jeanne Segal, Ph.D., contributed to this article. Last modified on: 1/25/07.
Anorexia Bulimia - An Eating Disorder with a Major Impact
Anorexia Bulimia is an eating disorder which can have a major impact on the body. While professional mental health care is crucial for individuals suffering from this disorder, so too is medical evaluation and treatment. Self-imposed starvation and binge/purge cycles have serious physiological effects.
Anorexia Bulimia - The Medical Effects of Binging and Purging
Anorexia Bulimia can cause injury to the esophagus (the tube connecting the mouth and stomach) due to cycles of repeated vomiting. Bile and acid from the stomach irritates and inflames the membrane that lines the esophagus, causing a condition known as esophagitis, which is sometimes severe enough to cause scarring and narrowing. This passageway can become so narrow that it is difficult for food to pass through. The physical stress of vomiting can cause tears in the lining of the esophagus. These tears may bleed massively or cause the esophagus to rupture. This is a life-threatening condition that requires immediate surgery.
Anorexia Bulimia can also cause injury to the stomach due to binge eating. Frequent vomiting commonly causes gastritis, an inflammation of the stomach lining. Also, eating a large meal very rapidly, combined with slower emptying of food from the stomach may, on very rare occasions, cause the stomach to rupture, causing death from peritonitis. Lung complications occur when self-induced vomiting leads to aspiration of food particles, gastric acid, and bacteria from the stomach into the lungs, producing pneumonia.
Kidney and heart complications, when they occur, are often severe. Fasting, vomiting, and over-use of laxatives may result in loss of fluid and crucial electrolytes from the body. Chronic dehydration and low potassium levels can lead to kidney stones and even kidney failure. Loss of body acids, as a result of frequent vomiting, leads to high alkali levels in the blood and body tissues. This may cause weakness, constipation and fatigue. Severe alkalosis and potassium deficiency can lead to an uneven heart rate or sudden death. Injury to the intestines, particularly the colon, commonly results from laxative abuse. Damage to the intestinal lining may lead to ulcers and produce bloody stools.
Anorexia Bulimia can cause injury to the skin in various ways. Most over-the-counter laxatives contain phenolphthalein, which may cause sores in the skin and hyperpigmentation (brown or gray spots). Excessive and forceful vomiting may result in hemorrhages in the blood vessels in the eye. Injury to the teeth is quite common. Chronic vomiting increases the acidity of the mouth and results in erosion of the teeth's enamel and dentin.
Anorexia Bulimia - Laxatives, Diet Pills & Other Drugs
Anorexia Bulimia victims often use drugs, over-the-counter as well as prescription, in their efforts to remain thin. Laxatives, for example, may seem to move food through the body more rapidly and may relieve abdominal distention after binging, but they do not prevent the calories in the food form being absorbed. The temporary weight loss that is seen after using laxatives is mostly due to loss of water in the bowel movement, and will be naturally regained. Misuse of laxatives is harmful in several ways: they upset the body's electrolyte balance; they lead to dehydration; they damage the digestive tract lining; and they let the bowels get lazy, so that one may experience constipation when laxatives are not used.
Diuretics, or water pills, increase urine excretion and can cause a sudden weight loss. A person who fails to distinguish between loss of body fat and loss of water may see this as a desirable effect and start using diuretics to lose weight. But because the only loss induced is water, the result is dehydration. In addition to causing dehydration, diuretics are also dangerous because they can increase the loss of calcium, potassium, magnesium and zinc from the body. They can also cause rebound retention of salt and water, making the body more sensitive to diet changes. Ipecac syrup, which is taken to induce vomiting, has been linked to deaths of several patients with eating disorders. Emetine, the active ingredient, can build up in tissue and cause muscle or heart weakness. Ipecac is toxic, whether taken as a single large dose or as small doses that can build up over time.
Anorexia Bulimia victims may take diet pills to help with weight loss. The best-known prescription pills are Dexedrine and Benzedrine, but over-the-counter drugs are also misused. These reduce appetite, but only temporarily. Typically the appetite returns to normal after a week or two, the lost weight is regained, and the user then has the problem of trying to get off the drug without gaining more weight. Warning: these drugs are of little use in achieving and maintaining weight loss and can become dangerously addicting.
Anorexia Bulimia - Escape the Cycle of Despair
Anorexia Bulimia may have seemed an easy solution at first - if you binged, you purged; if your body repulsed you, you exercised. But those solutions drove you deeper into despair, self-loathing and addiction. Culture and its airbrushed perfection sets an unattainable standard for most, whispering, If you're unhappy, do something about it. And though the desire for change isn't inherently wrong, focusing entirely on body image can lead to obsession. Eating disorders like Anorexia Bulimia offer a false sense of control, propelling you into a cycle of disease that robs your self-esteem, disrupts your daily life and affects your health, sometimes to the point of death. Only by escaping the trap and discovering the beauty inside can you find true contentment.
Read More Now!
Material excerpted from Dying to be Thin by Marian Eberly and Bonnie Harken. Copyright © 2000 Focus on the Family. Used by permission.
type in eating disorders on yahoo or google . My daughter had bullimia and they live a secretive life always thinking up ways to do this without anyone finding out. they usually stop their period and their heart can be affected from all the strain of forced vomiting. their throat can become inflamed from the digestive juices .it is a psychological problem and they need professional help. if you have any influence on your friend please encourage her to seek help ,it does work.
Answers: If this is a teen person or younger direct them to the site below. If not, you can still go there and ask for information on a help site that would be applicable. I have also listed 3 others for you.
I suffered from bulimia. The health complications are endless. Google bulimia.
Aside from tearing out your stomach lining, your teeth will rot from stomach acid. You can have a heart attack. You can literally burn out your esophagus. Like I said, the list is endless.
Read up and get your friend some help. Now.
well ok true story-in febuary, my dance teacher said if i wanted to be a professional, i have to be super skinny even though ii was and so i didnt EAT. I JUST WENT TO DANCE PRACTICE AND SLEPT AND N E WAY, AT A COMPETITION, I FAINTED ON MY DANCE SOLOO :( AND I HAD TO GO TO THE HOSPITAL FOR A WEEK UNTIL I ATE AND I NEVER DID THAT AGAIN. THE DOCTOR AND I HAD AN AGRREEMENT THAT I COULD GO ON A HEALTHY DIET BUT I STILL EAT I NEVER HAD ANOREXIA AGAIN!! YOU CAN DIE IF U HAVE IT BUT IF U LIKE HAVE IT FOR A MONTH!
Well, the long term effect is death. Try that one.
What is anorexia?
Eating habits lie on a continuum, from healthy eating habits on one end, to serious eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia on the other end. We are saturated with messages from the media that advise us to eat a healthy diet and exercise regularly. However, an obsession with losing weight, counting calories, and exercising can lead to an eating disorder, with serious emotional and physical consequences.
According to Ohio State University, the defining signs and symptoms of anorexia are:
* an intense and irrational fear of body fat and weight gain,
* a determination to become thinner and thinner, and
* a misperception of body weight and shape to the extent that the person feels fat even when underweight.
The person with anorexia loses weight and does not realize the dangers of denying food to the body.
“Food, calories, fat grams, weight, and weight management dominate the person's life and attempts to help are often ignored or met with denial or anger.” – Ohio State University Family and Consumer Sciences
What are the signs and symptoms of anorexia?
People who have anorexia try to hide their condition, so others may not notice the signs and symptoms of the eating disorder. The warning signs and symptoms of anorexia include:
* dramatic weight loss; refusal to maintain the minimal normal body weight for one’s age and height
* basing self-worth on body weight and body image
* frequent skipping of meals, with excuses for not eating
* eating only a few foods, especially those low in fat and calories
* making meals for others, but not eating the meals themselves
* frequent weighing of oneself and focusing on tiny fluctuations in weight
* wearing baggy clothing to cover up thinness
* excessive focus on an exercise regimen
* frequent looking in the mirror for flaws
* avoidance of social gatherings where food is involved
* even when thin, complaining about being overweight
* in females, missing three consecutive menstrual periods; in males, decreased sexual desire
What are the types of anorexia?
There are two types of anorexia, based on whether the anorexia is combined with bulimia:
Classic Anorexia (Restricting Anorexia) – The person eats very little and loses weight through self-starvation or excessive exercise. Calories consumed are insufficient to support bodily functions and activities.
Binge-Eating/Purging Anorexia – In addition to cutting the intake of calories, this person also binges and purges (self-induced vomiting, or misuse of laxatives, diuretics, or enemas). The person has symptoms of both anorexia and bulimia. About 50% of people with anorexia also develop bulimia.
What are the effects of anorexia?
The following diagram, from WomensHealth.gov, shows the physical effects of anorexia, as well as some of the emotional effects (see Brain and Nerves in the diagram).
Anorexia
Physical effects of anorexia
In addition to the wide-ranging physical effects of anorexia that are noted in the diagram above, the following can occur:
* Hair loss
* Lowered resistance to illness
* Hypersensitivity to heat
* Less need for sleep than normal eaters
* Severe dehydration, which can result in kidney failure
* Fatigue and overall weakness
In severe cases: heart trouble, low blood pressure, low heart rate, low body temperature, poor circulation, anemia, stunted growth, and even death
Emotional and behavioral effects of anorexia
In addition to the depression, irritability, and bad memory noted in Brain and Nerves in the diagram above, the following emotional and behavioral effects of anorexia can occur:
* Difficulty in concentrating on anything else except weight
* Isolation from family and friends
* Emotional regression to a child-like state
* Feelings of guilt
* Dependence upon alcohol or drugs to handle the negative outlook
What are causes and risk factors for anorexia?
A constellation of risk factors seem to cause anorexia. Sociocultural factors have an especially strong influence. Our culture rewards thinness, and societal approval can be so important that a person will starve to match that cultural ideal.
Social / cultural causes of anorexia
A culture that equates thinness with attractiveness and success pushes people to try to meet that ideal. The media present the ideal woman as ultrathin, and women respond by emulating that vision. However, eating disorders have been around for centuries, so the cultural ideal of thinness is not the only contributing factor to anorexia.
Psychological and emotional causes of anorexia
An individual’s inner feelings, personality characteristics, and personal history can contribute to anorexia. For example:
* The following personality traits are associated with anorexia: perfectionism, obsessiveness, approval-seeking, low self-esteem, withdrawal, irritability, and black-or-white (all-or-nothing) thinking.
* Major events in a person’s life history such as critical transitions or emotional upsets can contribute to anorexia. Relational or early life trauma (sometimes called developmental trauma) affects the brain, which in turn can impact both biology and psychology. Symptoms of trauma can include low self-esteem and obsessive, compulsive eating disorders like anorexia. Physical or sexual abuse can trigger anorexia.
* Interpersonal, or relationship, problems can trigger an eating disorder such as anorexia.
* Other conditions such as depression, anxiety, and ADHD may contribute to anorexia.
* According to mental health experts, the feelings during adolescence of being overwhelmed and powerless can bring about a desire to maintain control in some realm of life, such as control of body weight. Being in total control of what enters the mouth can give an adolescent a feeling of powerfulness. Thus, the period of adolescence may be when anorexia first arises.
Biological causes of anorexia
Studies of the families of people with anorexia suggest that a predisposition to anorexia may be genetically based.
When experts have looked at how the brain works in people with anorexia, they see higher levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin (a brain chemical), which makes the individual withdraw socially and have less desire for food. However, the higher level of serotonin may be a result of the anorexia, rather than a cause.
Other causes of anorexia
See the Mayo Clinic’s risk factors for more about contributing factors for anorexia.
How is anorexia diagnosed?
You can take a brief screening quiz to help you determine whether or not to seek professional help. Try one of these online tests:
* SCOFF questions for eating disorders (St. George's Hospital Medical School, University of London)
* Are You at Risk for an Eating Disorder? (Dartmouth College Health Service)
When you consult a doctor for a possible diagnosis of anorexia, the doctor first makes sure that endocrine, metabolic, and central nervous system disorders do not explain your apparent weight loss. If you do have anorexia, your physical problems are usually the result of not eating.
In addition to diagnosing for anorexia, your doctor may also assess damage already done to the body, with the following tests:
* a physical exam, including a physical history;
* laboratory tests, such as a blood test and urinalysis;
* other specialized tests, such as an electrocardiogram and an x-ray; and
* a psychological evaluation.
The U.S. National Eating Disorders Association provides a list of recommended laboratory tests.
The medical profession uses the following criteria for the diagnosis of anorexia:
* Your weight is 15% or more below normal for your age and height.
* You have an intense fear of being fat or gaining weight, even though you are underweight.
* You have a distorted image of your body and deny being underweight.
* (For women) You have missed at least 3 menstrual periods in a row.
What are the common treatments for anorexia?
Treatment for anorexia is multi-faceted and individualized according to your specific problems. The first priority of treatment is to regain physical health; all other treatment follows from that. A treatment program for anorexia commonly involves the following steps:
* Address physical effects of the anorexia
* Gain weight
* Implement a plan for healthy eating
* Adjust to the new eating habits and increased body weight
* Address the psychological underpinnings of the anorexia
* Regaining physical health is essential for working toward psychological health: you can devote yourself to developing a healthier mental state when your body is in a stable, healthy condition.
Psychotherapy as treatment for anorexia
Because a poor body image and low self-esteem underlie anorexia, psychotherapy is an important aspect of treatment for anorexia.
Individual psychotherapy addresses the emotional underpinnings of anorexia. Therapy helps you to identify concerns, solve problems, overcome fears, and test new skills. Each kind of therapist approaches discussions about anorexia differently, according to specialty.
* Cognitive behavior therapy focuses on the thoughts that envelop food and eating. One of the main goals is for you to become more self-aware of your relationship to food. Your therapist may ask you to keep a food diary or a journal of your thought processes about food.
* Behavior therapy uses rewards and repercussions to change the behavior of self-starvation. The behavior therapist teaches you to substitute relaxation and other coping strategies for the excessive exercising or fasting of anorexia.
* Other types of psychotherapy focus on social and emotional conditions in your life that can lead to low self-esteem, which may in turn contribute to your anorexia. Therapists may include massage or relaxation exercises in your mental health treatment.
* Family therapy looks at the family dynamics that may contribute to your anorexia and often includes some therapy sessions without you. Family therapy may be the solution when the person with anorexia denies the eating disorder.
* Group therapy led by a psychotherapist allows you to talk in a supervised setting with other people who have anorexia. Group therapy helps to reduce the isolation you may feel about your disorder, and group members can support each other in their quest for wellness.
* Support groups are led by trained volunteers or health professionals. To decide if a self-help support group will be effective in your anorexia treatment plan, see What about self-help groups?, from the National Eating Disorders Association. For help in finding a support group, refer to EatingDisorders Help and Support.
Medical care and monitoring for treatment of anorexia
A medical doctor assesses the physical effects of anorexia on your body, helps you to regain physical health, and monitors vital signs, hydration level, and electrolytes during the course of your treatment.
Nutritional counseling for treatment of anorexia
A dietician helps you to develop and follow through on a diet that will sustain you. To increase your weight, the dietician designs balanced meal plans that include the right number of calories for you to gain weight and restore health.
Medications as treatment for anorexia
Medication alone is not effective for the treatment of anorexia, but a medical doctor or psychiatrist may prescribe drugs to help with the symptoms or results of anorexia. Antidepressant drugs treat the depression and anxiety that often accompany (or cause) anorexia. Be sure to read Medications for Treating Depression and Anxiety: Making Informed Choices for a discussion of antidepressant risks. Other drugs for treating anorexia may help you to gain weight or to curb obsessive-compulsive behaviors.
Inpatient treatment centers for anorexia
If the physical effects of anorexia become life-threatening, or the psychological problems are severe, your mental health practitioner or medical doctor may recommend residential, inpatient treatment for anorexia. This may be in a hospital or in an eating disorders treatment center. After the initial, urgent care in a residential center, you will continue anorexia treatment on an outpatient basis.
Where can I find online referrals to anorexia treatment providers?
It can be scary and embarrassing to seek help for an eating disorder. But help is available! Treatment providers who specialize in eating disorders are available all over the world. You can search online, in private, for a referral to an anorexia treatment provider.
Each of the following organizations provides online referrals to help you to find treatment for anorexia (and treatment for other kinds of eating disorders).
* National Eating Disorders Association (USA & Canada)
* Eating Disorder Referral and Information Center (USA; some in Australia, Canada, Germany, Scotland, & UK)
* Pale Reflections Eating disorders community Treatment finder (worldwide)
* Eating Disorders Association (UK)
For more resources for anorexia, see What other help and support for anorexia can I find?, below.
Once you choose your anorexia treatment provider, you might use the guidelines from the U.S. National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA) for questions to ask your treatment provider. In this same article, NEDA also provides questions for parents or family members to ask about anorexia treatment if they are overseeing the treatment of a child or teenager.
What other help and support for anorexia can I find?
Anorexia is difficult to overcome without the support of others. Helpguide has assembled additional resources to help you or a family member to recover from anorexia. These sources of help and support for anorexia include:
* telephone hotlines and helplines for eating disorders
* self-help tips for anorexia
* how to help a family member or friend with anorexia
* support groups for people with eating disorders
* support groups for families of people with eating disorders
Be sure to check out Eating Disorders: Help and Support to make recovery easier.
References and resources for anorexia
Helpguide's series on eating disorders:
Eating Disorders: Types, Warning Signs, and TreatmentEating Disorders: Types, Warning Signs, and Treatment
Eating Disorders: Help and SupportEating Disorders: Help and Support
Anorexia Nervosa: Signs, Symptoms, Causes, Effects, and TreatmentsAnorexia Nervosa: Signs, Symptoms, Causes, Effects and Treatments
Bulimia: Signs, Symptoms, Effects, Treatment, and SupportBulimia: Signs, Symptoms, Effects, Treatment and Support
Binge Eating Disorder: Signs, Symptoms, Causes, Effects and TreatmentsBinge Eating Disorder: Signs, Symptoms, Causes, Effects and Treatments
Anorexia Nervosa – Comprehensive article. See especially the several sections on complementary & alternative therapies. (University of Maryland Medical Center)
Anorexia nervosa – Comprehensive article. (Mayo Clinic)
Anorexia Nervosa – A detailed, yet readable, thirteen-part article. (ehealthMD)
Eating Disorders Awareness: Anorexia Nervosa – A concise discussion of the signs and symptoms of anorexia. (Trisha Rayner, Ohio State University Family and Consumer Sciences)
Anorexia—Easy to Read – Information for women with anorexia, but also very helpful for men. (WomensHealth.gov, National Women’s Health Information Center, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women’s Health)
Eating Disorders: Anorexia and Bulimia – An easy-to-understand article, written for teens. The article discusses symptoms, causes, effects, and treatment. (Nemours Foundation, TeensHealth)
Treatment of anorexia
Anorexia Nervosa Treatment – General treatment guidelines for anorexia nervosa, including psychotherapy, medications, hospitalization, and self‑help resources. (Dr. John Grohol’s Psych Central)
Treatment and recovery – An honest and encouraging look at the treatment and recovery process for an eating disorder. (Anorexia Nervosa and Related Eating Disorders, Inc. (ANRED))
Online referrals to anorexia treatment providers
* National Eating Disorders Association (USA & Canada)
* Eating Disorder Referral and Information Center (USA; some in Australia, Canada, Germany, Scotland, & UK)
* Pale Reflections Eating Disorders Community Treatment Finder (worldwide)
* Eating Disorders Association (UK)
Delving deeper into anorexia
Skeletal Effects of Anorexia – A thorough discussion of anorexia's effects on bone loss and its resulting complications. (National Institutes of Health, Osteoporosis and Related Bones Diseases National Resource Center)
Female Athlete Triad – Describes a triad of symptoms that are common in females who are trying to improve their performance in sports. Disordered eating, amenorrhea, and osteoporosis are the three elements of Female Athlete Triad. The article discusses signs, symptoms, and treatment, as well as what the individual and others can do to halt and remedy the disorder. (Nemours Foundation TeensHealth)
The Many Causes of Eating Disorders? – Discussion of the various causes of eating disorders, including physical or sexual abuse or trauma, obsessive-compulsive behaviors, depression, and anxiety. Includes links to several related online videos. (HealthyPlace.com Eating Disorders Community)
The SCOFF questionnaire: assessment of a new screening tool for eating disorders – A simple, reliable instrument for determining if someone might have an eating disorder. Subsequent research has confirmed the validity of this simple test for anorexia, bulimia, and other eating disorders. (John F. Morgan, Fiona Reid, and J. Hubert Lacey, 1999. British Medical Journal 319:1467-1468 (4 December))
Tina deBenedictis, Ph.D., Jaelline Jaffe, Ph.D., Robert Segal, M.A., and Jeanne Segal, Ph.D., contributed to this article. Last modified on: 1/25/07.
Anorexia Bulimia - An Eating Disorder with a Major Impact
Anorexia Bulimia is an eating disorder which can have a major impact on the body. While professional mental health care is crucial for individuals suffering from this disorder, so too is medical evaluation and treatment. Self-imposed starvation and binge/purge cycles have serious physiological effects.
Anorexia Bulimia - The Medical Effects of Binging and Purging
Anorexia Bulimia can cause injury to the esophagus (the tube connecting the mouth and stomach) due to cycles of repeated vomiting. Bile and acid from the stomach irritates and inflames the membrane that lines the esophagus, causing a condition known as esophagitis, which is sometimes severe enough to cause scarring and narrowing. This passageway can become so narrow that it is difficult for food to pass through. The physical stress of vomiting can cause tears in the lining of the esophagus. These tears may bleed massively or cause the esophagus to rupture. This is a life-threatening condition that requires immediate surgery.
Anorexia Bulimia can also cause injury to the stomach due to binge eating. Frequent vomiting commonly causes gastritis, an inflammation of the stomach lining. Also, eating a large meal very rapidly, combined with slower emptying of food from the stomach may, on very rare occasions, cause the stomach to rupture, causing death from peritonitis. Lung complications occur when self-induced vomiting leads to aspiration of food particles, gastric acid, and bacteria from the stomach into the lungs, producing pneumonia.
Kidney and heart complications, when they occur, are often severe. Fasting, vomiting, and over-use of laxatives may result in loss of fluid and crucial electrolytes from the body. Chronic dehydration and low potassium levels can lead to kidney stones and even kidney failure. Loss of body acids, as a result of frequent vomiting, leads to high alkali levels in the blood and body tissues. This may cause weakness, constipation and fatigue. Severe alkalosis and potassium deficiency can lead to an uneven heart rate or sudden death. Injury to the intestines, particularly the colon, commonly results from laxative abuse. Damage to the intestinal lining may lead to ulcers and produce bloody stools.
Anorexia Bulimia can cause injury to the skin in various ways. Most over-the-counter laxatives contain phenolphthalein, which may cause sores in the skin and hyperpigmentation (brown or gray spots). Excessive and forceful vomiting may result in hemorrhages in the blood vessels in the eye. Injury to the teeth is quite common. Chronic vomiting increases the acidity of the mouth and results in erosion of the teeth's enamel and dentin.
Anorexia Bulimia - Laxatives, Diet Pills & Other Drugs
Anorexia Bulimia victims often use drugs, over-the-counter as well as prescription, in their efforts to remain thin. Laxatives, for example, may seem to move food through the body more rapidly and may relieve abdominal distention after binging, but they do not prevent the calories in the food form being absorbed. The temporary weight loss that is seen after using laxatives is mostly due to loss of water in the bowel movement, and will be naturally regained. Misuse of laxatives is harmful in several ways: they upset the body's electrolyte balance; they lead to dehydration; they damage the digestive tract lining; and they let the bowels get lazy, so that one may experience constipation when laxatives are not used.
Diuretics, or water pills, increase urine excretion and can cause a sudden weight loss. A person who fails to distinguish between loss of body fat and loss of water may see this as a desirable effect and start using diuretics to lose weight. But because the only loss induced is water, the result is dehydration. In addition to causing dehydration, diuretics are also dangerous because they can increase the loss of calcium, potassium, magnesium and zinc from the body. They can also cause rebound retention of salt and water, making the body more sensitive to diet changes. Ipecac syrup, which is taken to induce vomiting, has been linked to deaths of several patients with eating disorders. Emetine, the active ingredient, can build up in tissue and cause muscle or heart weakness. Ipecac is toxic, whether taken as a single large dose or as small doses that can build up over time.
Anorexia Bulimia victims may take diet pills to help with weight loss. The best-known prescription pills are Dexedrine and Benzedrine, but over-the-counter drugs are also misused. These reduce appetite, but only temporarily. Typically the appetite returns to normal after a week or two, the lost weight is regained, and the user then has the problem of trying to get off the drug without gaining more weight. Warning: these drugs are of little use in achieving and maintaining weight loss and can become dangerously addicting.
Anorexia Bulimia - Escape the Cycle of Despair
Anorexia Bulimia may have seemed an easy solution at first - if you binged, you purged; if your body repulsed you, you exercised. But those solutions drove you deeper into despair, self-loathing and addiction. Culture and its airbrushed perfection sets an unattainable standard for most, whispering, If you're unhappy, do something about it. And though the desire for change isn't inherently wrong, focusing entirely on body image can lead to obsession. Eating disorders like Anorexia Bulimia offer a false sense of control, propelling you into a cycle of disease that robs your self-esteem, disrupts your daily life and affects your health, sometimes to the point of death. Only by escaping the trap and discovering the beauty inside can you find true contentment.
Read More Now!
Material excerpted from Dying to be Thin by Marian Eberly and Bonnie Harken. Copyright © 2000 Focus on the Family. Used by permission.
type in eating disorders on yahoo or google . My daughter had bullimia and they live a secretive life always thinking up ways to do this without anyone finding out. they usually stop their period and their heart can be affected from all the strain of forced vomiting. their throat can become inflamed from the digestive juices .it is a psychological problem and they need professional help. if you have any influence on your friend please encourage her to seek help ,it does work.
More questions & answers:
- I have like all these symptoms of something wrong with me but I can't go to the doctor until next week.?
- Alzheimer's Poems?
- Is there a home drug test available for testing for psilocybin (mushrooms) and LSD?
- How does one apply for social security disability ??
- Can you get UTI (Urinary Tract Infection) from sex or oral sex?
- What are Xanthones?
- What are the different diseases that doctors find hard to diagnose?
- Thyroid question!?
As an MD, it is very difficult for a non-MD ( or even an MD) to 'just put symptoms in and try to match up a disease. It is even difficult for MD's who have accesss to many different web based/ medica
http://www.zarcrom.com/users/yeartorem/A...
I would suggest picking up some Lactaid pills and seeing if that helps. If you don'
I would suggest picking up some Lactaid pills and seeing if that helps. If you don'
http://www.netdrugtest.com/
http://www.testcountry.com/
http://www.testcountry.com/
You need to submit your application by phone, mail, or in person at any one of their local offices.
Yes.
Peno-vaginal unprotected sex gives enough opportunity for the exchange of the micro-organisms. Particularly in the females, the anatomy is such that infection can travel to the bladder pretty
Peno-vaginal unprotected sex gives enough opportunity for the exchange of the micro-organisms. Particularly in the females, the anatomy is such that infection can travel to the bladder pretty
Sounds like another fruity snake oil sales tactic to me!!! Some goofy made up, UNSCIENTIFIC word and people are supposed to believe it.
Mild cases of mental illness.
Digestive disorders.
Just off the top of my head.
Digestive disorders.
Just off the top of my head.
Yes, its possible. It happened to me. The TSH is a lousy test to diagnose thyroid problems because TSH changes throughout the day. If someone tested in the afternoon, it could stop a diagnosis because