Anorexia Nervosa is an eating disorder that involves a drastic reduction in food intake and an unhealthy loss of weight. The people with anorexia nervosa starve themselves, surviving on little or no food for very long periods of time yet remain sure they still need to lose more weight. Anorexics have a distorted body image, perceiving that they will become attractive only when they become skeletal in appearance. The self starvation may extreme and the weight loss associated with anorexia causes;

• Amenorrhea - A condition were women to stop having menstrual periods, as a result of weight loss. At this point the woman will have trouble getting Pregnant.
• Constant fatigue - Anorexics feel constantly fatigued. Yet will drive themselves to keep up with their normal routine.
• Mood swings - People with anorexia become irritable and are moody. They may also start becoming forgetful.
• Elaborate Food rituals - Anorexics could develop unusual and often elaborate food rituals.
• Death - Starvation causes or contributes to the person's death.

Types of Anorexia

There are two types of Anorexia;

Restricting type - This is when a person simply refuse to eat as a way of preventing weight gain.

Binge/Purge type - This is when the person engages in binging and purging behaviours.

What are the differences between Binge/Purge Anorexia and Bulimia?

There are two main difference beteen Binge/Purge Anorexia and Bulimia

People with Binge/Purge Anorexia will continue to be around 15% underweight, whist bulimics tend to have a healthier body weight.

Women with binge/purge anorexia will develop amenorrhea whilst bulimics normally retain their normal menstrual cycles.

Causes of Anorexia

Anorexia primarily occurs in females, with its incidence peaking during the adolescent years and declining in early adulthood. In fact, about 1 percent of people will develop anorexia, 95 percent of which will be females. Numerous causes of anorexia have been suggested, including societal, psychological and physiological factors. The societal factor is caused by the modern thin image portrayed by the media. Psychological factors include the need for attention, desire for indivuality, denial of sexuality and a way of coping with over controlling parents. Physiological factors involve the hypothalmus (part of the brain) that become abnormal in a number of ways when the individual becomes anorexic.

Anorexia Nervosa Treatment

Because anorexia nervosa involves a severe and health threatening underweight condition, the first priority in treating this person is to restore the person's body weight to as near normal as possible. This is often done in a hospital setting. Once the weight is up, treatment moves on to the cognitive methods to alter irrational thinking and the individual's body image.

The Four Main Criteria for Anorexia Refusal to maintain the minimum normal weight for your age/height. Extreme, irrational fear of growing overweight despite being underweight Distortions in your perception of your body weight (seeing yourself fat even though you are underweight) Amenorrhea (absence of at least three menstrual cycles)