Anorexia Nervosa
Anorexia nervosa is a serious medical and mental health condition that can be life-threatening without treatment. Anorexia is characterized by an overwhelming and irrational fear of gaining weight as well as a relentless pursuit to be as thin as possible at any cost. Anorexia has the highest mortality rate of any mental illness.
Symptoms of Anorexia
Signs and symptoms of anorexia include:
- Weight loss (significant or sudden)
- Preoccupation with weight, body, food, calories, fat grams, exercise, and/or dieting
- Refusal to eat certain foods or food group
- Complaints of constipation, abdominal pain, cold intolerance, lethargy, and/or excess energy
- Distorted self-image
- Expressed anxiety about gaining weight or being “fat”
- Denial of hunger
- Development of food rituals (e.g., eating foods in certain orders, excessive chewing, rearranging food on a plate)
- Avoidance of meals as well as other situations involving food
- Participation in an excessive, rigid exercise regimen
- Withdrawal from friends, family, and/or activities
- Concerned about eating in public
- Limited insight into and/or denial of the above mentioned unhealthy behavioral or cognitive patterns
- Post-puberty loss of menstrual period
- Difficulty concentrating
- Dizziness
- Dental issues, such as enamel erosion, cavities, and tooth sensitivity
Health Consequences of Anorexia
As the condition worsens, the symptoms of anorexia eventually become more severe, including:
- Slow heart rate and low blood pressure – the risk for heart failure increases as the heart rate and blood pressure decrease
- Reduction of bone density (dry, brittle bones) – the risk for osteoporosis/osteopenia increases as bone density decreases
- Muscle loss and weakness
- Dehydration which can result in kidney failure
- Fainting, fatigue, and overall weakness
- Dry hair and skin, hair loss
- Growth of a downy layer of hair (lanugo) all over the body, including the face, to keep the body warm
How We Treat
Our evidence-based clinical treatment modalities for treating anorexia include the following: