Anorexia Nervosa

Anorexia

Nervosa

Signs

Anorexia Nervosa is when a person constantly denies food until it turns into self-starvation. One with anorexia is obsessed about weight loss. A person will continually deny hunger and food. They also can eat and purge. People with this eating disorder can practice binging and purging, while some practice restricted eating. Restricted eating is not eating enough and restricting food groups, or food in general. They exercise to the point of exhaustion because they want to burn as many calories as possible, even when they are extremely underweight.

Symptoms

According to The National Institute of Mental Health symptoms of Anorexia Nervosa include:

extremely restricted eating

extreme thinness

a relentless pursuit of thinness

distorted body image

intense fear of gaining weight

denial of the seriousness of low body weight

unwillingness to maintain a normal or healthy weight

self-esteem that is heavily influenced by perceptions of body weight and shape

According to The National Institute of Mental Health, long term symptoms of Anorexia Nervosa include:

thinning of the bones (osteopenia or osteoporosis)

mild anemia

muscle wasting and weakness

brittle hair and nails

dry and yellowish skin

growth of fine hair all over the body (lanugo)

severe constipation

low blood pressure

slowed breathing and pulse

damage to the structure and function of the heart and brain multiorgan failure

drop in internal body temperature

lethargy, sluggishness, or feeling tired all the time

infertility