Anorexia nervosa
What is anorexia nervosa?
Anorexia nervosa, often referred to as “anorexia” or “ana” is an eating disorder characterized by overly restricting food intake. People struggling with anorexia may use restriction as a form of control, as a response to body dysmorphia, or even as a coping mechanism for other underlying mental health struggles, such as depression or anxiety (John Hopkins Medicine 2023).
The history of the disorder
But how did this eating disorder even come about? Well, some sources say that it evolved from religious practices such as fasting as well as starvation being considered an exercise of purity. During the 12th and 13th centuries, many women were praised for self-starvation as they were seen as very strong (The Recovery Village 2023). Furthermore, during the Victorian era, self-starvation was medically diagnosed as a form of hysteria as a result of anxiety in women. Anorexia nervosa wasn’t officially deemed an eating disorder until the mid-20th century, later being characterized as a disorder with the obsession with being thin.
Who is affected?
No specific race, gender, age, or socioeconomic status is solely affected by the disorder: anyone is at risk. Although men and women equally suffer the consequences of the disorder, about 90% of people with anorexia are women (Columbia University Department of Psychiatry 2018).
Symptoms and causes of Anorexia
Unfortunately, social media plays a major role in influencing anorexia. Comparison with heavily edited and unrealistic body types online as well as the glorification and romanticization of restrictive diets can be extremely triggering for those suffering from anorexia, or any eating disorder.
Anorexia may be inherited, in fact, “...[f]irst-degree relatives of individuals with [anorexia] have approximately a ten-fold greater lifetime risk of having [anorexia] than relatives of unaffected individuals” (PubMed 2009). Young children may be influenced by their parents’ restrictive behaviors which may lead them to inhabiting the disorder themselves.
Some physical symptoms of anorexia include extreme weight loss, fatigue, insomnia, dizziness, hair thinning, loss of period in women, constipation, abdominal pain, dehydration, and others. Some emotional or behavioral symptoms of anorexia include severe restriction of food intake, excessive exercise, preparing food for others but not eating themselves, not eating in public, lying about how much they have eaten, frequent body and weight checking, lack of emotion, irritability, and others (Mayo Clinic 2018).
Common misconceptions about the disorder
Some common misconceptions about anorexia is that only women struggle with this disorder but men are also affected. Also, many people believe that only extremely underweight people suffer from anorexia; however, any person of any body size is susceptible to this disorder and is not visibly diagnosed in all cases. Another misconception is that people with anorexia never eat, but anorexia is tied to food restriction and avoidance, not absence from food (The Recovery Village 2022).
You are not alone
If you feel that you, or a loved one, are struggling with an eating disorder, please consult a professional or visit the sites below. Asking for help is not easy, but you are not alone, making that first will help you so much in the long run. Happiness and health are worth much more than societal standards.
https://www.helpguide.org/articles/eating-disorders/eating-disorder-treatment-and-recovery.htm
Works Cited
“Anorexia Nervosa.” Johns Hopkins Medicine, 31 Jan. 2023, www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/eating-disorders/anorexia-nervosa.
Digital, Amsive. “History of Anorexia.” The Recovery Village Drug and Alcohol Rehab, May 2023, www.therecoveryvillage.com/mental-health/anorexia/history-of-anorexia.
“---.” Columbia University Department of Psychiatry, 21 Nov. 2018, www.columbiapsychiatry.org/research-clinics/eating-disorders-clinic/about-eating-disorders/anorexia-nervosa#:~:text=While%20many%20different%20types%20of,may%20occur%20earlier%20or%20later.
Pinheiro, Andrea Poyastro. “The Genetics of Anorexia Nervosa: Current Findings and Future Perspectives.” PubMed Central (PMC), 2009, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2828778/#R6.
“Anorexia Nervosa - Symptoms and Causes - Mayo Clinic.” Mayo Clinic, 20 Feb. 2018, www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/anorexia-nervosa/symptoms-causes/syc-20353591.
Digital, Amsive. “Anorexia Myths.” The Recovery Village Drug and Alcohol Rehab, May 2022, www.therecoveryvillage.com/mental-health/anorexia/anorexia-myths.
