Women sometimes go too far in their desire to have a perfect figure. In an effort to get as close as possible to the ideals imposed by society or close people, they can cross the line beyond which they can no longer adequately control themselves. Anorexia is a mental illness in which the patient ceases to objectively perceive his figure, regardless of whether he looks normal or not.
What is anorexia
In scientific circles, anorexia is called an eating disorder. Those suffering from this disease are obsessed with the thought of their own fullness, and strive by all available means to reduce the amount of food they eat. In most cases, the following factors can cause this disease:
- Low self-esteem or self-doubt.
- Excessive demands on yourself and your figure.
- Socially imposed opinion.
- Striving to become like an idol.
- Possible geneticpredisposition.
- Stressful situations can also cause anorexia.
Anorexia itself is an obsessive thought about the imperfection of one's own figure and, as a result, a desire to correct it. The insidiousness of this disorder is that even when certain results are achieved, the subject of this disease does not stop and continues to deplete the body. After some time, this lifestyle may become firmly entrenched in the mind of the patient, and after that even long-term treatment may not have an effect.
Consequences of anorexia
Psychological effects include: constant depression alternating with bouts of euphoria, inability to concentrate, irritability, sometimes suicidal thoughts.
In addition to mental changes, the body will also be subject to destructive effects. For the full functioning of the body, he needs energy, which he draws from food. Therefore, prolonged anorexia can lead to the following: cardiac arrhythmias, frequent dizziness and fainting, chills, hair loss on the head and appearance of facial hair, slow heart rate, infertility in women, reduced sexual desire in men and women, frequent convulsive pain in the stomach, brittle bones and vertebrae, brain shrinkage and even death.
How to detect anorexia
At the initial stages, it is difficult to identify such an ailment as anorexia in a patient. A diet that includes almost no food- the first manifestation of this disorder. People affected by this disease at the mental level change their attitude to food. To maintain and improve their figure, they rarely eat and often force vomiting after eating. By doing this, they seek to get rid of excess calories.
The main feature by which anorexia can be distinguished from ordinary starvation is the complete denial of the problem by patients. They tend not to notice or, more correctly, force themselves not to see changes in their body. Even when the bones begin to protrude from the skin, they still tend to consider their figure too full. Since anorexia is a disorder that occurs primarily in the head of patients, they never notice even obvious changes in themselves. At the first symptoms of anorexia, relatives and friends should try to dissuade the patient themselves. In the first stages of the disorder, it is possible to do without the intervention of doctors.
Some symptoms of anorexia
Hyperactivity is another sign of anorexia. With this disorder, the patient seeks to achieve the desired result with the help of exhausting training. This is especially true for male anorexia. Although there are significantly fewer cases of this disorder among males, they do occur. When this disease appears in men, they tend to spend as much time as possible in training, up to overwork. Men become more irritable and even aggressive, making it much harder to get them to believe in their own disease and get treatment.
One of the symptoms of the disease is an alleged constant lack of appetite and unwillingness to eat with anyone. At the same time, patients may show excessive interest in everything related to cooking. So, a girl's anorexia can cause her a great desire to cook food for her friends and relatives, but at the same time she herself will not participate in the meal. She can respond to all invitations quite abruptly and rudely, which may be another indicator of the disease.
In the later stages of anorexia, it is easy to detect unnatural thinness in a patient. Everyone has an idea of what running anorexia looks like. Photos showing models with obvious signs of malnutrition can be seen in many fashion magazines. The saddest thing about this is that while these models are mostly old enough to take care of themselves, many of their female fans are still teenagers. It is during adolescence (from 16 to 22 years) that this disorder appears in 90% of all cases. Therefore, in many countries there are special laws that do not allow the publication of photos of girls with signs of anorexia.
Early stages of anorexia
In the initial stages of anorexia, treatment is possible without medical intervention. If family or friends notice psychological changes in time, then even a simple conversation may be enough to stop the progression of this disorder.
Because this condition is mostly prevalent in adolescence,parents should pay more attention to their children. However, as mentioned earlier, since anorexia is a mental illness, it can be caused by ordinary stress, caused by both insufficient attention from parents and its excess, so it is important not to be overly intrusive.
Anorexia before and after treatment
But in advanced cases, the situation is completely different. The most dangerous thing about this disease is that it occurs at a psychological level. Even if, for example, by force to feed the patient, it will help only partly, without eliminating the very cause.
When contacting a doctor, depending on the stage of the disease, hospitalization in a special hospital may be prescribed. Psychotherapy will be prescribed, with the help of which doctors will be able to make the patient aware of his problem. Effective treatment is possible only when the patient can admit to himself that he is sick. Until then, any attempts at treatment will have no effect. In addition to psychotherapy sessions, pharmacological agents are sometimes used. As a rule, they are various antidepressants and drugs that promote weight gain.
Consequences
The consequences of anorexia can be different. It is possible that even after completing a full course of treatment in a hospital, the disease may return. Therefore, those who even once showed signs of anorexia should always be given great attention.
There are fatal cases when the disease was discovered too late, and destructiveprocesses in the body have reached an irreversible state. The most common causes of death are starvation or heart failure.
Anorexia: before and after bulimia
Bulimia is a mental disorder that is the opposite of anorexia. When sick, the patient feels bouts of insatiable hunger, which can occur even after eating. An incredible appetite and its subsequent quenching is replaced by a sense of shame and fear of getting fat.
This disorder also appears predominantly in the female part of the population, and becomes a real test for her. It is quite common for bulimia and anorexia to occur simultaneously in the same person. Bulimics tend to control their weight through constant forced vomiting or overuse of laxatives.
It often happens that after another attack of overeating, the patient refuses any food for a while. He can last even a few days without food, after which he is unable to restrain his hunger and again gorges himself to satiety. Such jumps from one extreme to another become more destructive for the body than each of them taken separately.
