Anorexia is a disease that is very sensitive to gender. Even 96 percent. the sick are women whose disease was revealed during adolescence. You suffer from anorexia all your life and you cannot cure it completely. Most anorexic people, however, never get a diagnosis and do not start treatment. The holiday of people suffering from anorexia is on May 6.

Anorexia is a disease that is underestimated and trivialized, while it has all the hallmarks of a fatal disease, inevitably leading to starvation or a serious decrease in the quality of life or the development of comorbidities such as heart failure. Anorexia is also accompanied by taboo, which effectively prevents the sick from seeking help.

Check who suffers from anorexia, how it manifests itself and how it is treated!

Known and new causes of anorexia

Meanwhileanorexia nervosa , that isanorexia nervosa , has always been with mankind. The motivation does not have to be an obsession with a slim figure. Specialists also find anorexia in historical figures, including clergy for whom starvation was an acceptance of penance, such as in the case of St. Catherine of Siena. In the elderly, the diagnosis is often associated with depression and loss of willingness to live.

Anorexia is associated primarily with the destructive role of the mass media duplicating the model of a very slim figure. The internalized example turns into social pressure that drives teens to starve themselves. It turns out, however, that the behavioral factor of the disease is not the only answer, and according to the thesis adopted and developed by specialists, anorexia is a hereditary disease, passed down through the female line.

- The environment is already deviating from the strictly cultural causes of the disease.Currently, it is estimated that up to half of patients with anorexia inherited it from their ancestors . Experts associate it with the sexual difference in the functioning of the serotonergic system, and further - the level of serotonin. Epigenetics should also be included in the discussion, i.e. the influence of the environment and our behavior on changes within the genome and its further transmission to offspring - explains Mikołaj Choroszyński.

This does not mean, however, that the behavioral factor remains indifferent. During therapy with a sick person, the specialist goes back to their childhood,looking for problematic situations that may be associated with later anorexia. Often these are lack of acceptance, parental alienation and the child's attempted attention.

How is anorexia diagnosed?

The psychodietician states that the correct diagnosis of anorexia is relatively simple. The basic symptoms include:

  • weight loss,
  • lower heart rate and temperature,
  • deteriorating condition of hair, skin and nails,
  • immunity decline,
  • lowered sugar level, otherwise hypoglycemia and lipids, including cholesterol.

Weight and BMI below 18 points does not have to be a determinant, because anorexia also affects people with obesity, especially after bariatric surgery.

Find out who are bariatric surgeries for and what they are all about!

Additionally, people suffering from anorexia may periodically experience bulimic episodes. But that's not all. The behavior of the sick person also speaks about anorexia.

Eating styles in anorexia

- We can distinguish a neurotic character, full of anxiety, for which everything is either-or. They always compare themselves to someone, often to other anorexics. Additionally, sick people are characterized by perfectionism. The so-calledpoint style of eating , i.e. a very well-organized, strictly implemented plan. The punctual style of eating is typical of athletes - if you tell them that a meal is to consist of 30 g of bread and a banana weighing 200 g, they will eat exactly that much. For patients with anorexia, it is half an apple in the morning and half an apple in the evening. They stick to their plan, even if the whole body is screaming to stop - says Mikołaj Choroszyński.

The opposite of the point style of eating is theinterval styleseen in bulimia sufferers. It is characterized by great randomness and spontaneity, and what and when it will hit the plate is determined by the impulse and changing appetite.

As Mikołaj Choroszyński emphasizes, it is easy to see during the consultation whether the patient is a typical "point" or "parting". This often affects other parts of his life, so while the "interpreter" is likely to be late for an appointment or try to reschedule the appointment, the scout will be on time or ahead of schedule.

- A simple element of therapy may be to intentionally change the time of your visit. This is a way to show the sick person that changing plans does not have to be a bad thing and tell them: "Look, nothing happened" - adds Mikołaj Choroszyński.

Anorexia is incurable!

Thanks to therapy, however, it can be silenced by teaching mechanismseveryday coping with the disease. Most patients, however, never start cooperation with a specialist, risking their lives not only as a result of starvation, but also suicide, which may affect up to 1 in 5 cases of the disease, which should be associated with a high percentage of comorbid depression. This is the result of the taboo accompanying anorexia, which prevents the sick from seeking professional help.

- Fortunately, there are more and more grassroots support groups and aid groups, often operating free of charge and with complete anonymity. They will not replace psychotherapy and close cooperation with a dietitian, but for a patient they are a big step forward - sums up Choroszyński.

Category:

Psychiatry