Anorexia nervosa is a disease characterized by eating disorders and associated strong and, importantly, conscious weight loss. As a rule, anorexia is accompanied by a constant sense of fullness, even if in fact a girl weighs below the norm. Currently, because of the cult of the lean body, more and more women are victims of this mental disorder. Consider the signs of this disease and how to deal with anorexia.
Signs of anorexia in women
It is worth noting that the signs of anorexia will be the same for men and women, but it is the perfect sex that is the main risk group and is more likely to face such a disorder. So, consider the bright signs of anorexia:
- Body weight for a long time is 15% and below the minimum norm, and the body mass index is less than 17.5. You can find out these indicators using online calculators that are in the public domain.
- Weight loss occurs consciously, as a result of the desire of man himself. Often losing weight is through such harmful techniques as taking laxatives, inducing vomiting, excessive gymnastic exercises, use of drugs to suppress appetite.
- A person with anorexia always thinks that he is fat and should lose weight. In addition, all patients are terribly afraid of gaining weight.
- Typically, those who suffer from anorexia, there is a general metabolic disorder, which is often manifested as a lack of menstruation in women.
- In adolescents suffering from anorexia, growth and development of the body stops (the breast, too low growth, etc.) stops. Only full recovery allows us to properly complete all these processes.
- If a person suffering from a nutritional disorder denies his problem, this is an obvious sign of anorexia.
- Often, patients have deviations in the way they eat: some eat minimal portions or divide up food into a hundred tiny pieces, others eat standing, etc.
- As a rule, eating disorder is accompanied by sleep disturbances.
- People who suffer from anorexia are seldom in a good mood, often depressed, touchy and irritable.
- Excessive interest in various diets and refusal from feasts and banquets, as well as simple family dinners, can also talk about problems.
- Women often have weakness, arrhythmia, muscle spasms.
The psychology of anorexia allows us to distinguish these signs as the main ones that can be diagnosed in a patient even if he does not talk about his internal problems.
Stages of anorexia
Many people wonder how anorexia begins, when exactly from a simple desire to look slim, a girl gets a mental breakdown? There are three stages - and the initial stage of anorexia is treatable much easier than the other two.
The dysmorphic period . The girl is overcome with thoughts about her physical inferiority because of her imaginary fullness. This is accompanied by a depressed mood, anxiety, a search for diets, etc.
Anorectic period . This time of almost complete starvation, weight is reduced by 20-30%, it causes joy and an even tougher diet. Girls, as a rule, say that they simply do not have any appetite, and they torment themselves with the greatest physical exertion. At this stage, often lose monthly, the natural sense of appetite disappears.
Cachectic period (after 1.5 - 2 years). There is an irreversible degeneration of the internal organs, weight is reduced by 50%. The functions of all body systems are being depressed and the question of how to cure anorexia is becoming more complicated.
Psychological help for anorexia is simply necessary, and the sooner it is provided, the better.