Anorexia, or anorexia nervosa, is a potentially life-threatening eating disorder characterized by low body weight, obsession over weight loss and a distorted body image. Though numerous underlying issues that contribute to anorexia have little to do with weight, such as low-self esteem or depression, weight loss and extreme weight loss measures are primary symptoms. If you or a loved one exhibits symptoms of anorexia, seek guidance from a doctor.
Refusal to Maintain Healthy Weight
People with anorexia resist weight gain and refuse to settle for a body weight that falls at or above a minimally normal weight range for his age and height. According to the National Eating Disorder Association, this refusal might serve as an initial symptom that leads to extreme measures of calorie restriction and dieting, as well as preoccupation with weight, calories, fat grams and dieting techniques. It also poses complications during treatment, as many individuals with anorexia resist treatment for fear of recommended weight gain. When anorexia becomes life threatening because of a refusal to gain weight, hospitalization might be required, during which a person is fed glucose and other nutrients intravenously.
Distorted Perception of Body Weight and Size
People with anorexia perceive themselves as physically larger, heavier and less attractive than they really are. This can lead to dangerous complications because a person's harsh judgment of her appearance can lead to extreme dieting. A distorted body image can also indicate another condition, known as body dysmorphic disorder, an illness characterized by obsession over self-perceived physical flaws that cause a person to take extreme measures toward altering or concealing their appearance before going out in public or, in severe cases, to hide from others entirely. According to an article by doctors Jon E. Grant and Katharine A. Phillips in the Harvard Psychiatry Review in 2004, anorexia and BDD are separate illnesses that can overlap. In such cases, treatment can further complicate the condition because the two illnesses might require varying approaches to treatment. Grand and Phillips suggest that in cases in which BDD and anorexia are present, both illnesses need to be diagnosed for best results.
Dangerously Low Body Weight
Body weight of 85 percent or less of a person's healthy, minimum weight is a common diagnostic criterion for anorexia. According to the Cleveland Clinic, two types of anorexia sub-types exist: restrictive eating and binge eating alternating with restrictive eating at different periods of the illness. If the person continually restricts food intake, he will maintain dangerously low body weight that either worsens continually or plateaus. Those who binge might experience greater variances in body weight. If the periods of low-body weight fall below 85 percent of the person's healthy weight range, it indicates anorexia. Low body weight poses numerous serious complications, such as a weakened immune system, extreme physical and emotional lethargy and, in most severe cases, death. If you observe severe or rapid weight loss in a loved one, seek prompt medical guidance. If your loved one refuses medical treatment, discuss the possibility of intervention with your doctor.
