UBC PATHS Blog Post: Jan 8, 2023
Anorexia, meaning the loss of appetite, is an eating disorder characterized by an obsession with weight and food. This results in excessive weight loss and potentially a life-threatening self-starvation behavior. People with anorexia nervosa may use extreme exercise methods and highly restrictive eating limitations to control their weight, as it may give them a sense of control or security.
Causes of Anorexia Nervosa
Internal traits including personality, emotions, genetics
Environmental factors such as social attitudes and family influences
Sports including ballet, bodybuilding, figure skating, gymnastics, modeling, etc. that focus on body shape and size are especially at higher risk
Effects and Symptoms
Physical symptoms:
Extreme weight loss
Abnormally low BMI
Fatigue and dizziness
Fragile hair
Irregular heart rhythm
Low blood pressure
Behavioral symptoms:
Severe food intake restriction
Overexercise
Self-induced vomiting
Social withdrawal
Repeated weighing/checking of body size due to fear of weight gain
Treatments
Reducing the effects of anorexia nervosa can take a long time due to negative ideologies and feelings towards food, or even feelings of shame and remorse that prevent reaching out for help
One of the main ways to ensure a constant path to recovery for anorexia is to seek professional help from a therapist or psychiatrist, along with a nutritionist to learn and enforce healthy eating habits
Depending on the severity of the situation, hospitalization may be required if anorexic eating behavior has occurred for prolonged periods of time and is detrimental to the patient’s health
A physician can be helpful to visit to ensure the required calories are met to return to a healthy weight, and of course, family and friends will be the biggest help to motivate and regulate eating behaviors
Anorexia is linked to many other disorders such as depression, thus alleviating those symptoms with antidepressants may be helpful
Did You Know?
0.9% of women and 0.3% of men will have anorexia at some point during their life
Anorexia has the highest mortality rate of any mental health condition – 10% of all patients with anorexia will die due to the disease or related effects
An estimated 1 million Canadians meet the diagnostic criteria for an eating disorder
Connection to Students
Students with eating disorders may have either, or both, physical and behavioral issues such as:
Lack of focus or concentration
Decline in ability to perform in sport as well as their classmates
Choose to spend more time alone
Prone to more illnesses due to a weakened immune system
Spending a lot of time perfecting every task / assignment
Hiding their thin bodies by wearing loose / baggy clothes
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