Understanding Anorexia Nervosa

*TRIGGER WARNING* This post contains pieces of information that might affect your recovery. Read with caution.


Hello peeps! 💕 Today I would like to raise awareness about Eating Disorder (ED), specifically Anorexia Nervosa (AN). ED is not uncommon anymore but the stigma and misunderstanding are still in the air. For people who have been struggling with anorexia, you know the guilt and feeling of hopelessness for recovery and the shakes you get from relapses. You are not alone and what's more important is, IT IS NOT YOUR FAULT. Believe it or not, it is backed by neuroscience! Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), researchers found that it is a disorder you are wired to, you did not choose to have it, it is more than that, something is actually going on! Let's get into it bit by bit! 💪🏻

🍎 What is Anorexia?

Anorexia Nervosa is one of ED characterized by significant underweight, having fear of gaining weight and food restriction or calorie counting. Anorexics may or may not have the desire to be thin as like models portrayed in mainstream media but they usually see themselves as overweight. Taking a very small amount of food and malnourishment can be seen in this disorder, but some might take it really far by excessive workout, forced vomiting after food and even using laxatives.

🍎 Statistics

🌍 ED affects all races and ethnicity.
🌍 Anorexia is more prevalent to young women but men suffer from it as well by 10%.
🌍 This might be shocking but 80% of 13-year-old girls are on diets and at risk of developing an ED.
🌍 0.9% of American women developed anorexia at least once in their lifetime.
🌍 Half of the anorexia patients have co-morbid mood disorders and anxiety disorder e.g Depression, Social Phobia.
🌍 The average onset of the disorder is at 17, but all ages can be affected.
🌍 20% of anorexia patient remains dangerously underweight, even with intervention, but 60% make to full recovery *high hopes*

🍎 Risk Factors and Causes

Genetic
🔷 Yes, anorexia is heritable by 30% to 58%.
🔷 DNA modifications can maintain anorexia but more clinical trials are needed.

Psychological
🔷 In early studies, theories of anorexia are proven linked with childhood sexual abuse and dysfunctional family but those are not always the case and research are still going to determine other possible causes.
🔷 Most anorexics suffer from low self-esteem, feeling of wanting to control a part of their life (hence, restriction of food), anxiety and depression.

Sociological
🔷 The social pressure to be skinny and thinspiration (skinny is beautiful).
🔷 Models and dancers are the most likely to develop anorexia.
🔷 Family pressure and bullying/teasing can cause low self-esteem and can trigger the "I am fat" self-talk.

Mass Media
🔷 Constant exposure to mainstream media that projects 'Body Ideals'
🔷 Pro-anorexia websites suggesting the importance of achieving unhealthy body ideals and the strong need to attain them.

🍎 Symptoms

🔎 Low body mass index (BMI)
🔎 Amenorrhea (Absence of menstruation)
🔎 Sudden weight loss
🔎 Strict calorie counting
🔎 Food rituals (Eating small and slow, cutting food into tiny pieces, 'Do not eat in front of others' rule, eating in front of a mirror etc.)
🔎 Lanugo (fine hair growth all over face and body)
🔎 Hair thinning
🔎 Constant stepping of weighing scale
🔎 Purging at any costs (laxative, diet pills, weight management pills etc)
🔎 Excessive exercise
🔎 Cold intolerance
🔎 Depression, anxiety, and insomnia
🔎 Chronic fatigue
🔎 Muscle cramps due to lack of potassium in the body
🔎 Self-loathing, self-harm and negative self-talk
🔎 Solitude
🔎 Skin discoloration (Yellow skin and orange feet)

🍎 What Anorexics' Brain Has to Say

In school and sports, anorexic kids learn and live to achieve perfection. Strict schedules of studying and sports practice might be the number one priority for these children. They need to be flawless! They don't know how to stop most of the times, if they do, they will feel like failures. At work, they are highly productive teammates and leaders. Ever wondered why?



Anorexics' brains are wired to WILLPOWER and HEIGHTENED SELF CONTROL (for good and the worst ones).
It is not by choice!

🍎 Types of Treatment

🌼 Diet (Refeeding)
🔶 Introduce more food variety to get started.
🔶 Starting slowly and gradually increase the amount of food intake.

🌼 Family-based treatment therapy (FBT)
🔶 Conjoint family therapy (CFT) --> Parent and children seeing the same therapist.
🔶 Separated family therapy (SFT) --> Parent and children attend therapy appointments separately with different therapists.
🔶 Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) --> Acceptance and commitment therapy/Cognitive remediation therapy

🌼 Hospitalization
When hospitalized, refeeding is the only crucial treatment that will be given but it can be difficult with the patient consent since refeeding syndrome (RFS) can cause underfeeding and longer admission time. Therefore it is recommended for the medical team and psychiatric experts to team up to in severe AN disorder.

🍎 Conclusion

It is important for AN awareness to be spread because our society has portrayed a beauty standard, especially to women that not just unhealthy but unattainable. It's time to talk about it and starts early intervention especially for the affected and high-risk teenagers by encouraging them to get screened and seek help.

🍎 Resources for Anorexia Nervosa Disorder

National Eating Disorder Association
www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/get-involved/nedawareness

Recovery & Relapse
www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/learn/general-information/recovery

Helpline
www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/help-support/contact-helpline

Screening tool
www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/screening-tool

🍎 References

www.mirror-mirror.org/anorexia-statistics.htm

anad.org/education-and-awareness/about-eating-disorders/eating-disorders-statistics/

www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/02/150219101345.htm

www.sciencenews.org/article/anorexic-brain

💞 Discussion Questions 💞

1. What red flags you should be mindful of about developing an eating disorder?

2. What are the coping techniques you can suggest to help towards recovery?

3. How can you support someone suffering from an eating disorder?

~Yass! We're done here! Thank you for reading and answering the questions!!! 🌹🌼 ~~~

Tagging some peepsies!~
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