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Feature Articles: Eating
Disorders Anorexia NervosaBy Greta Hopke, RD and Candance Gabel, MS,
RD, LD,
The American Psychiatric Association has recognized two clinical eating disorders, anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. Anorexia nervous, a self starvation disorder, has four diagnostic criteria (according to the American Psychiatric Association).
They include:
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There are 2 types of anorexia nervous:
restricting and binge-eating/purging. In both types the
individual is often obsessed with food, but will not allow
themselves to eat due to their intense fear of gaining weight.
According to Nancy Kolodny's book, The Beginner's Guide to
Eating Disorder Recovery, when extreme weight loss has occurred
there can be a chemical change in the brain that changes the
person's perception so that they feel fat where there is none.
This may explain an anorexic's disturbed perception of their
body and weight, where they think and feel fat, but are actually
dangerously thin.
An eating disorder is a very serious issue. It
affects an individual's physical, emotional, social,
intellectual, and even economical aspects of life. Physical
complications for anorexic's can include hair falling out, skin
becoming purplish or darker than normal or a yellow-tinged
color, difficulty sleeping due to not enough fat to cushion
their bones as they lie down, bone loss leading to osteoporosis,
dizziness, stomach pains, constipation, and possibly death due
to starvation or heart problems. According to Anorexia Nervosa
and Related Eating Disorders, Inc.'s website (www.anred.com/stats.html),
without treatment, up to 20% of individuals with serious eating
disorders die, but with treatment, that percentage drops to
2-3%. As you can see the results of an eating disorder are not
pretty at all. Of course, an eating disorder brings more than
physical complications; the disorder affects their social and
family life. Most people with an eating disorder become
depressed and withdraw or isolate themselves from friends and
family.
In reported cases, anorexia and bulimia combined
affect almost 10 million women and 1 million men (primarily
teens and young adults). It is estimated the peak onset of an
eating disorder among girls occurs at ages 11-13! (Statistics
from National
Eating Disorders Association website. It is also reported,
that approximately 10-20% of adolescent and young women exhibits
some characteristics of anorexia, but do not meet the diagnostic
criteria (Kolodny, 2004). These individuals with disordered
eating can still suffer from physical, emotional, and social
problems and the condition could potentially develop into an
eating disorder, possibly resulting in more serious problems.
For more information on eating disorders, click on these topics:
Here are a few websites that may provide more information
about eating disorders:
References:
1. Kolodny, N. (2004). The beginner's guide to eating disorder
recovery. Carlsbad, CA: Gürze Books.
2. Williams, M. (2005). Nutrition for health, fitness, &
sport. 7th Ed. New York: McGraw Hill.
3. National eating disorders
association urges parents and teens to 'get real'. (2004).
Retrieved Feb. 8, 2005 from National Eating Disorders
Association website:
http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/p.asp?WebPage_ID=754
4. Statistics: How many people have eating disorders? (2004).
Retrieved Feb. 8, 2005 from Anorexia Nervosa and Related Eating
Disorders, Inc.'s website:
http://www.anred.com/stats.html
Last update: Monday, August 07, 2006
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