Anorexia Nervosa

OVER the next few weeks, I would like to talk about the various types of eating disorders- those that are very common within our community.

While they may seem trivial to some, eating disorders are very serious mental illnesses that can cause a wide variety of physical and mental health issues. More importantly, they tend to go unnoticed, by our most loved ones and sometimes even ourselves.

Eating disorders are unhealthy and abnormal attitudes towards food and exercise which result in severe changes in behaviour and eating patterns. There is a constant focus and obsession with food, weight and overall physical appearance. The illness has a lot to do with our self-esteem, self-confidence and just an overall distorted view of ourselves.

These types of disorders are particularly difficult as food obviously plays a crucial role in our life – it’s a necessity and not like other drug addictions where we can cut the vice out of our life completely. A balance and control of the drug need to be there, something that is quite difficult.

There are three major types of eating disorders which are Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia and Binge Eating Disorder. Today I would like to start with Anorexia Nervosa as it is the most dangerous of the three.

This disorder is caused by many factors- only one being the blatant social pressure to be thin which has drastically increased in the last few years due to the popularity of social media. There were many times where I had a piece of chocolate in my hand, decided to scroll through social media such as Facebook or Instagram, and I almost immediately felt forced to throw away the chocolate. During those times, I often feel tremendous guilt but when does it get too serious? When does it become unhealthy?

Anorexia Nervosa usually develops from the anxiety, intense and irrational fear of being overweight or the desire to be thin. The majority of individuals with Anorexia Nervosa have a distorted view of themselves in the sense that they believe to be overweight when they are actually underweight. They believe their personal value is directly related to their weight and physical appearance.

Both men and women suffer from Anorexia Nervosa (although it is more common in women) and the onset is usually around ages 16-17.

It is basically self-starvation where the individual refuses to eat anything until they absolutely have to. When they do decide to eat, they constantly count calories and rarely eat in public settings. They repetitively complain about their weight and continuously weigh themselves. They may resort to excessive exercise or taking supplements such as diet pills or laxatives. This all means that they may experience rapid and frequent changes in weight, often experience headaches or dizziness and generally have low energy.

Anorexia Nervosa affects individuals in many physical, emotional and social ways. It causes a range of physical health problems such as malnutrition, hair loss, Osteoporosis (fragile bones), sexual issues such as loss of periods/ infertility in women and erectile dysfunction in men. Issues with blood circulation, irregular heartbeat, low blood pressure, seizures and kidney damage are also common. Drug abuse is very common as many people resort to using drugs like cocaine to decrease appetite and therefore lose weight.

This makes addiction very common in individuals with Anorexia. If the individual is pregnant, miscarriages, premature births and low birth weight are common. In some cases, the condition can even be fatal. Actually, Anorexia Nervosa has the highest mortality rate than any other mental illness. Anorexia can cause a range of psychological issues such as anxiety, depression, self-harm and even suicide. These side effects subsequently affect school and job performance as well as many other daily activities. Social harms such as withdrawal from relationships and loss of interest in previously enjoyed activities are also common.

Anorexia Nervosa can be the result of many things such as genetics (family history of eating disorders), bullying/ criticism, substance abuse, abusive relationships, low self-esteem and self-confidence, stress or being in a particular job/field that requires low body weight such as dancers or models.

Sadly, people with Anorexia Nervosa rarely seek help – a lot of intervention is needed. If left untreated, anorexia nervosa will likely remain a lifelong condition. The difficulty is that the first step of recovery is admitting there is a problem, which is also very rare in this case. Most individuals can be treated in an outpatient setting but in severe cases, hospital admission is necessary.

Successful treatment usually involves a combination of things. The first is to make a food plan to return to a healthy weight. The next step is to identify the underlying psychological issues that may have caused the disorder in the first place – for example, low self- esteem or stress. It is important to pay attention to your thinking/reasoning. People tend to believe that if they feel a certain way it must be true. “I feel fat so I am fat” is common. However, try to be reasonable, realistic and positive in your thinking.

It will go a long way. Finally, behavioural changes such as staying away from places or activities that trigger the obsession of being thin may be necessary. For example – throw away your scale! A recovering Anorexic keeping a scale is like a recovering crack addict keeping his pipe. Start basing your value on how you feel daily instead. It is a lot of responsibility to take on so I’d suggest reaching out for help; to either a professional or a loved one. They can definitely help you with a realistic plan.

I would like to encourage those who are currently trying to overcome Anorexia. It can take some time to fully recover and relapses are common but don’t lose hope, you are not alone.

Thanking you for reading. Please keep sending any topics you’d like to talk about to caitlinvieira@gmail.com Or come in to see me at:

Georgetown Public Hospital: Psychiatric Department:
Monday- Friday – 08:00hrs – 12:00hrs

Suicide Prevention Helpline Numbers: 223-0001, 223-0009, 623-4444, 600-7896

Say Yes to Life and No to Drugs! Always!