Anorexia

What is anorexia nervosa?

Anorexia nervosa (say: ann-or-ex-ee-ah) is an illness that usually affects teenage girls. Teenage boys and grown-up women and men also can get it. People with anorexia think about being thin a lot of the time. They try to lose a lot of weight, and they are very worried about gaining weight. They think they are fat even though they are very thin. Anorexia is more than just a problem with food and weight. It is a way of using food and weight to deal with emotional problems.

Why do people get anorexia?

No one knows why some people get anorexia. People with this problem may think they would be happier and more successful if they were thin. They want everything in their lives to be perfect. They think that having a thin body is one way to be perfect. People who have anorexia usually are good students. They may be in many school and community activities. They blame themselves if they do not get perfect grades or if other things in their lives are not perfect.

What other problems can anorexia cause?

Girls and women with anorexia might stop having normal menstrual periods. People with anorexia have dry skin and might have fine hair growing on their body. The hair on their head may become thin. They may feel cold all the time, and they may get sick often. People with anorexia have a hard time concentrating. They are always thinking about food. It is not true that people with anorexia are never hungry. They are always hungry, but feeling hungry makes them think they have control over their lives and bodies. People with severe anorexia can even die of starvation.

How is anorexia treated?

Anorexia is hard to treat because people with anorexia believe there is nothing wrong with them. People who have had the eating problem for less than six months or who have lost only a little weight may not have to stay in a hospital. But for successful treatment, people must want to change. They also must have support from their family and friends.

People with more severe anorexia need to be in a hospital, usually in a special unit for people with anorexia and bulimia. Treatment involves more than changing the person's eating habits. People with anorexia often need counseling for a year or more so they can change the feelings that cause their eating problems. These feelings may be about their weight or problems with their family, or about problems with how they think about themselves. Some people with anorexia are given medicines for depression.  Contact your family physician for assistance.

How do I know if I have anorexia?

If you have anorexia (an-oh-RECKS-see-uh), you are very thin, but do not think of yourself as being thin. You may feel scared of gaining weight and choose not to eat very much, or at all. You may not think you have an eating problem, though. You also may try to lose weight by throwing up after you eat, using laxatives (one brand: Ex-Lax) or diet pills (both make you go to the bathroom a lot), or exercising a lot.

How can family and friends help?

People with anorexia feel safe, secure, and comfortable with their illness. Their biggest fear is gaining weight because that makes them feel like they don't have control over their bodies. People with anorexia will beg and lie to avoid eating and gaining weight. Family and friends should give love and support but not give in to the pleading of a person with anorexia.

Warning signs of anorexia

Deliberate starvation with a big weight loss

Fear of gaining weight

Refusal to eat

Denial of hunger

Constant exercising

Greater amounts of hair on the body or face

Thinning hair on the head

Sensitivity to cold

Absent or irregular periods

A feeling of being fat when the person is really too thin