Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by immoderate food restriction and irrational fear of gaining weight, as well as a distorted body self-perception. It typical
ly involves excessive weight loss. Anorexia nervosa usually develops during adolescence and early adulthood.Due to the fear of gaining weight, people with this disorder restrict the amount of food they consume. This restriction of food intake causes metabolic and hormonal disorders.Outside of medical literature, the terms anorexia nervosa and anorexia are often used interchangeably; however, anorexia is simply a medical term for lack of appetite and people with anorexia nervosa do not in fact, lose their appetites.
Causes:
- Obstetric complications
- Genetics
- epigenetics
- serotonin dysregulation
- Brain-derived neurotrophic factor
- cerebral blood flow
Treatment for anorexia nervosa tries to address three main areas. 1) Restoring the person to a healthy weight; 2) Treating the psychological disorders related to the illness; 3) Reducing or eliminating behaviours or thoughts that originally led to the disordered eating.Although restoring the person's weight is the primary task at hand, optimal treatment also includes and monitors behavioral change in the individual as well. As treatment can prove to be difficult, "as many as 6 percent of people with the disorder die from causes related to it.If anorexia nervosa is not treated, serious complications such as heart conditions and kidney failure can initiate and eventually lead to deat
Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by immoderate food restriction and irrational fear of gaining weight, as well as a distorted body self-perception. It typical
ly involves excessive weight loss. Anorexia nervosa usually develops during adolescence and early adulthood.Due to the fear of gaining weight, people with this disorder restrict the amount of food they consume. This restriction of food intake causes metabolic and hormonal disorders.Outside of medical literature, the terms anorexia nervosa and anorexia are often used interchangeably; however, anorexia is simply a medical term for lack of appetite and people with anorexia nervosa do not in fact, lose their appetites.
Causes:
- Obstetric complications
- Genetics
- epigenetics
- serotonin dysregulation
- Brain-derived neurotrophic factor
- cerebral blood flow
Treatment for anorexia nervosa tries to address three main areas. 1) Restoring the person to a healthy weight; 2) Treating the psychological disorders related to the illness; 3) Reducing or eliminating behaviours or thoughts that originally led to the disordered eating.Although restoring the person's weight is the primary task at hand, optimal treatment also includes and monitors behavioral change in the individual as well. As treatment can prove to be difficult, "as many as 6 percent of people with the disorder die from causes related to it.If anorexia nervosa is not treated, serious complications such as heart conditions and kidney failure can initiate and eventually lead to deat