Characteristics of Anorexia
Anorexia Nervosa is an eating disorder identified by an "obsession" for thinness, generally sought through self-starvation. Characteristic features include drastic weight loss resulting from dieting and/or intense exercise, poor body image, a drive for thinness and an accompanying fear of weight gain.
Anorexia nervosa afflicts as many as one in every 100 girls and young women. It typically starts in the teenage years but in recent years has been seen in pre-pubertal teens who refuse to maintain a healthy body size. Its victims can literally starve themselves to death. People with anorexia nervosa don't maintain a normal weight because they refuse to eat enough, often exercise obsessively and sometimes use laxatives or force themselves to vomit as well.
Psychiatrists diagnose anorexia nervosa when a patient weighs at least 15 percent less than expected. Marked by excessive dieting and obsessive weight inhibitions, Anorexia Nervosa is characterized by severe and persistent weight loss, a distorted body image and intense fear of becoming fat. Diagnostic criteria also includes cessation of the menstrual cycle. Denial of the seriousness of the disorder is a primary barrier to treatment.
Over time, those with anorexia nervosa develop all the symptoms of starvation. As their bodies conserve resources, monthly menstrual periods stop. With the stop of menstrual periods the body also starts to lose calcium from the bones. If anorexia nervosa becomes severe, its victims will develop osteoporosis (thinning of the bones), an irregular heartbeat and heart failure. Breathing, pulse and blood pressure rates fall. Victims' hair and nails become brittle, their skin dries, yellows and they may develop a layer of soft hair called "lanugo." Others may suffer from cardiac arrest as a result of malnutrition, while still others commit suicide
Without adequate amounts of water, the victims will suffer from constipation. As their bodies lose fat, their internal temperature falls, making them less tolerant of cold weather. Mild anemia and swollen joints often develop and muscles waste away. As their bodies struggle to survive, people with anorexia nervosa can suffer from lethargy, loss of interest, increased feelings of worthlessness and hopelessness and other symptoms of depression that discourage them from seeking treatment.
For downloadable documents about eating disorder symptoms and eating disorder statistics, see our “Getting Treatment” section.
Avalon Eating Disorders is a New York inpatient and outpatient clinic for the treatment of Anorexia, Bulimia, Obesity, and Compulsive Overeating.
