Anorexia

Anorexia Nervosa

By: Ashley Green

Anorexia Nervosa

Anorexia Nervosa is a type of eating disorder. This type of eating disorder is when people have a increased fear of gaining weight. People who have this order will significantly drop their food intake. They will only allow themselves to eat very limited amount of food. Anorexia affects both the body and the mind. It may start as dieting, but it gets out of control. You think about food, dieting, and weight all the time. You have a distorted body image. A major myth that people have about Anorexia is that it is the only life threatening eating disorder. Many people are only familiar with Anorexia, but there are many more. According to The Center for Eating Disorders, Eating Disorders in general have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness. Recent research has expanded our knowledge about the risks associated with each of the specific diagnoses. The research (Crow, S., et al. 2009) showed mortality rates for bulimia and EDNOS that were similar to, and higher, than those for anorexia. Bulimia had a 3.9% mortality rate and EDNOS had a 5.2% mortality rate while anorexia had a 4.0% rate. These numbers were based on a study of individuals seeking outpatient services. Without treatment, it’s suspected that as many as 20% individuals will die as a result of their illness. Even for patients whose eating disorders don't prove fatal, there are often severe medical complications associated with starvation and purging, including bone disease, cardiac complications, gastrointestinal distress, and infertility. Another big misconception is that only women have eating disorders. According to The Centers for Eating Disorders, At least 1 out of every 10 people with an eating disorder is male. In fact, within certain diagnostic categories like Binge Eating Disorder, men represent as many as 40% of those affected. In a recently released report from the American Academy of Pediatrics, boys and men were cited as one...