Have you ever experienced social appearance anxiety? There are many aspects regarding appearance that are linked to this special type of anxiety, such as body weight, which is often considered an important factor that contributes to social appearance anxiety. Nowadays, individuals with social appearance anxiety resulting from unsatisfied weight apply different dealing methods. Some might choose to exercise, some might choose to be on a diet, and some might combine these methods.
Regarding the method of dieting, if moderate, various benefits can be brought. Nevertheless, if it goes extreme, it can cause an eating disorder, called anorexia nervosa, or anorexia. People with anorexia often, because of extreme fear of weight gain, limit themselves from food intake in a severe manner. Anorexia is not a neglectable condition. If not dealt with correctly, it can lead to life-threatening health problems.
(Image 1. Anorexia Nervosa)
Risk Factors
While thinking of the risk factors of anorexia, the first thing people comes to mind is social appearance anxiety. In fact, this can be somehow linked to obsessive-compulsive personality traits. More specifically, people with these traits often hold a negative view of themselves, or, believe that they are not enough to reach the perfection regarding body weight they are pursuing. Additionally, environmental factors that can lead to low self-esteem, such as bullying, images on social media, transitions, and so on can also play a role in the development of anorexia.
(Image 2. Low self-esteem)
Interestingly, the development of anorexia can be associated with genetic factors as well. In fact, individuals who have siblings or parents with any kind of eating disorder, including anorexia, have a 10 times higher chance of developing an eating disorder compared to those who don’t. This suggests that genetic mutations can to some degree elevate the risk of individuals developing anorexia.
Symptoms
Symptoms of anorexia are more complicated than how they are commonly thought. Symptoms of anorexia involve many types, including physical, behavioral and mental symptoms.
Physical symptoms are probably the most obvious ones. These might involve symptoms of starvation and malnutrition, such as problems in the cardiovascular system, like bradycardia (a condition where one’s heart rate is lower than 60 BPM), arrhythmias (conditions characterized by irregular heartbeats), hypotension (low blood pressure) and so on, as well as other issues such as fatigue, dizziness, fainting, muscle weakness and so on. Additionally, an extreme reduction in body weight is also a common symptom. Nevertheless, it is important to note that anorexia patients can have varying body weights (i.e. not all people with anorexia appear to be extremely thin).
Abnormal behaviors can be also seen in people with anorexia. Common behavior symptoms of anorexia might involve changes in dietary habits, such as a sudden alteration of preferences while choosing food as well as eating routines. People with anorexia might also show other behavior symptoms such as exercising in an extreme manner, vomiting, incorrect medication usage, and so on.
Finally, since anorexia is often connected to other mental issues, mental symptoms are nonneglectable. Mental symptoms of anorexia often involve body weight. These include but are not limited to having a distorted self-image, an abnormal interest in aspects related to body weight such as calories as well as having an abnormal and intense fear of weight gain.
(Image 3. Behavior and mental symptoms of anorexia)
Treatments
Treating anorexia often involves dealing with psychological issues of the patients, one form of treatment that is commonly applied is psychotherapy. Among the many forms of psychotherapy, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is one that is often recommended to anorexia patients. By treating with CBT, a patient with anorexia can change their way of thinking about food and learn healthier ways of dealing with body weight. If psychotherapy is encouraging recovery, then medications such as antidepressants might be applied.
(Image 4. CBT)
When anorexia becomes life-threatening, then hospitalization needs to be applied. In this case, the patients require hospitalization to treat the severe malnutrition or starvation complications such as heart problems, mentioned in the section above. Moreover, if a patient with anorexia exhibits severe mental issues, then psychiatric hospitalization is required. Sometimes, if a patient refuses to intake food in a severe manner, then he or she might require feeding through tubes during the hospitalization period.
Prevention
Anorexia is a complicated condition; it cannot be prevented in an absolutely promising way. However, early identifying and dealing with the disorder can in fact help a lot. For example, by the time an individual is suspected to have anorexia symptoms, then various coping methods can be applied immediately. For example, people surrounding him or her can help him or her to develop a normal attitude towards food intake to prevent the further progression of anorexia.
Conclusion
To sum up, this article provides an overview on anorexia nervosa, an eating disorder that might be way more complicated and severe than how it is commonly thought. Therefore, recognizing the symptoms of anorexia soon can prevent one from suffering the painful symptoms related to anorexia. If you notice some people surrounding you are exhibiting possible anorexia symptoms, it is a good choice for you to have a talk with them on their recent issues regarding eating.
(Image 5. Concern for others)
References
“Anorexia Nervosa: What It Is, Symptoms, Diagnosis & Treatment.” Cleveland Clinic, my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/9794-anorexia-nervosa?height=95%25&iframe=true&width=95%25.
Cowden, Susan. “How Is Anorexia Nervosa Diagnosed?” Verywell Mind, 27 Feb. 2022, www.verywellmind.com/diagnostic-criteria-for-anorexia-nervosa-1138312.
Mayo Clinic. “Anorexia Nervosa.” Mayo Clinic, 20 Feb. 2018, www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/anorexia-nervosa/symptoms-causes/syc-20353591.
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