Anorexia Nervosa

Women and men all suffer from weight problems once in awhile but there are also some who obsess over their weight because they feel that this is something that they can control.

While it is normal for women to go on diet or to forego various food products just to lose weight, there are also some women who become so consumed with the need to lose weight that they develop eating disorders.

What is Anorexia Nervosa?

This is an eating disorder wherein men and women feel the need to starve in order to lose their believed excess weight. This is a life threatening condition and 5-20% of people who are suffering from the condition will tend to die especially when they tend to veer away from the help of other people.

Usually, there are more chances that people will die from the condition if the condition is prolonged. According to reports, more than 90% of those who are suffering from Anorexia Nervosa are women.

Why Do Women Get Afflicted with Anorexia More?

Women usually become more obsessed with their body image. This is probably because of how women are projected in social media. At the same time, this is how women are expected to behave in society. They are expected to look their best at all times so that they can achieve a lot of things in life. This stereotype against women has cost some women their lives.

Women who are usually depressed or who are suffering from anxiety because of failed relationships or rejections sometimes want to look for something else that can make them feel better. At times, they blame their weight for lost chances and opportunities so they tend to focus on losing weight at the soonest possible time.

There are more young women who are affected as compared to older women because they are still transitioning from being girls to women who are supposed to fend for their well being in the big world. Those who are not tough will usually succumb to the clutches of the disorder.

Symptoms of Anorexia

It is important to know the various symptoms of Anorexia Nervosa in order to detect if someone you know is suffering from the disorder:

  • Inability of a person to sustain normal weight and would tend to be dangerously overweight.
  • Voicing out intense fear of gaining weight even one pound.
  • People suffering from anorexia usually see themselves differently when they look in the mirror. They tend to see that they are fat although they are not.
  • Strict control over the consummation of food. People who are suffering from anorexia would usually take a lot of time pondering over the food that they are going to eat throughout the day. Some who are extremely ridden by the condition will have the tendency not to eat at all.
  • Takes laxatives or other medications that will cause them to have food removed from their bodies. There are also a lot of people with this condition that will have the tendency to exercise a lot or even take long jogging sessions or walks just to lose the pounds that they feel they have gained because of eating.

There are still other symptoms that can be associated with Anorexia. Most people who suffer from the condition are very adamant about going to the doctor. They would usually insist that they are okay and it will take a lot of convincing before they would be forced to go.

Studies show that other people, especially women have a higher percentage of acquiring the condition if another person from the family has already suffered with this condition before.

The fact that it is inherited does not mean that those who do not have family members suffering from this condition will not get it. Mental disorders may also increase the chances of having this condition in the long run.