What is anorexia?

People with anorexia have an obsessional fear of becoming overweight, even when they are severely underweight. One’s self image is distorted: how a person with anorexia, actually, look bears little, or no relation, to the way they actually feel they look. This distortion is not flattering one: a person with anorexia believes they are fat, unattractive, and undesirable, despite increasing evidence to the contrary. Like bulimia, anorexia appears to build on the belief that what matters most is one’s appearance; that being slim will give you self-esteem and self- control. One of the common behaviours the a person with anorexia encompass is putting food into red light, green light and amber light foods, an anorexic person many have a long list of forbidden or red light foods, and a very small list of green light foods such as fruit or vegetables. Amber light foods may be foods which are off the green light food list which the an anorexic person would consider bad, if a lot is consumed. Broadly speaking, there are two categories of anorexia. The restricting type of anorexia, weight loss accomplishes by restricting calories or in some cases stops eating altogether, also following extreme diets, and exercising to excess. In the purging type of anorexia, weight loss is achieved by vomiting or using laxatives and diuretics.

How common is anorexia?

Eating disorders are accountable for the highest number of deaths from psychiatric illness. The Eating Disorders Association estimates that about 165,000 people in the UK are eating disorders with 10% dying, therefore, experts believe it may well be higher. Most sufferers are women, but the figures for men are on the increase with one in 10 people with an eating disorder are now males.

Will  anorexia damage my health?

As you, many have expected anorexia has a severe impact on, the suffers, health as a program of self-starvation results in significant weight loss: the official definition of major health concerns, for low body weight, is when weight is 85% of normal body weight. Women stop menstruating, low blood pressure, anemia and abdominal pain. In extreme cases, major organ can fail. There is an increased risk of a variety of infections and illness.

Is it only women and young girls that become anorexic?

There is a general perception that only teenage girls suffer with anorexia, this is not correct, as there is an increasing number of young men who suffer with an eating disorder, of some kind. What is often the case, is that a behaviour learnt in early life can be lifelong, and there is an increasing number of middle age women with an eating disorder. A survey carried out in the US of 500 girls between the ages of 10 and 18 found that almost 60% were unhappy with their body image and two thirds want to lose weight.

How does a partner or a parent know that person close, then has an eating disorder?

• Wearing baggy clothes
• Avoid eating with the rest of the family or in public places
• Preferring to eat fruit and vegetables, rather than facts and carbohydrates
• Exercising excessively
• Drinks lots of caffeinated drinks such as energy drinks
• Mood changes
• Withdrawn keeping to him or herself
• Vomiting
• Taking laxatives
• Visiting toilet the toilet /bathroom, during meals or as soon as possible you after a meal.

LINKS 

http://www.eatingdisorderhope.com

This site discusses different treatment methods. There is a particular interesting section on interpersonal therapy (IPT) this is a type of therapy that Eleos counselling offers.

http://www.eatingdisorderhope.com

A really interesting and informative site on eating disorders.

http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Eating-disorders/Pages/Introduction.aspx

An NHS website discussing the different types of eating disorder.