Do you know what causes 'anorexia'? Symptoms and treatments are also explained!

 

Anorexia is one of the mental disorders classified as an eating disorder in which there is an image that can be reached as a result of excessive dieting, but it is refusal to take necessary nutrients due to psychological factors such as stress. In particular, it occurs in about 1 in 1,000 young women in their 10s and 20s with strong faith. Excessive weight loss cannot be underestimated because it is life-threatening and difficult to treat. This time, we will explain the main characteristics and tendencies of when you or your family members feel 'Maybe anorexia?' Also, please refer to it as it introduces mental and physical diseases and treatment methods that are prone to coexistence.

Symptoms and characteristics of anorexia

What are the symptoms?

Because I am afraid of gaining weight, not a temporary loss of appetite due to poor physical condition, I take extreme diet control. As a result, for example, even if you are slimmer than your normal weight, you think you are fat, and you vomit in the bathroom right after eating or abuse a laxative. In addition, under the influence of malnutrition, a state such as lethargy, reduced concentration, anxiety, and hatred, and aggression and impulsivity increase, causing trouble with people.

Describe the characteristics of a person with anorexia.

It is extremely thin to the naked eye, and even if it shows a decrease in stamina, it behaves actively anyway. No matter how much weight you lose, you don't think you're skinny, so you can see the intensity of your stubbornness, such as refusing even if people around you recommend hospital treatment. The decline in academic and work efficiency is also significant, which is a level that interferes with daily life. In addition, many people have swollen parotid glands and vomited octopus on their hands because they are afraid of gaining weight even after eating, so they repeat vomiting.

How is anorexia diagnosed?

Weight loss is the diagnostic criterion, and anorexia is diagnosed when there is a decrease of 20% or more of the standard weight after 3 months or more. A standard weight is said to be appropriate if the BMI (Body Mass Index) value is 22, and the formula of [height (m) × height (m) × 22 = standard weight] is used for calculation. A BMI of less than 15kg/㎡ is the most severe, and if it is 30% or more below the standard weight, hospitalization is taken immediately. In addition to numerical criteria, specific behaviors such as vomiting or abuse of laxatives, not stopping eating even though you are much thinner than your standard weight, are also typical reasons for diagnosis.

What kind of mental illness does it lead to?

In most cases, anorexia is caused by a lack of self-confidence or low self-esteem. This makes it easier to pull a depressed state. In addition, other mental disorders such as alcohol or drug dependence are also prone to occur, and when mentally driven, there is a tendency to self-harm. And, it is characteristic that people with anorexia have difficulty in maintaining a sense of distance from others, or there are many situations in which problems in the mother-child relationship appear due to over-involvement of the mother. It is important where you focus your treatment, as it may trigger a chain of anorexia or psychiatric disorders.

I would also like to know about physical diseases that may coexist.

As women lose weight significantly, female hormones drop, and in the case of women, menstruation stops, so-called amenorrhea.

Also, due to lack of nutrition, constipation or anemia are also accompanied. When blood is irradiated, a decrease in white blood cells and hyper/hypoproteinemia, hypercholesterolemia, etc. of liver function appear, which are caused by daily vomiting. In addition, osteoporosis or kidney dysfunction may occur, and if the low body weight persists for a long time, atrophy of the brain can also be seen.

Causes of anorexia

What are the main causes of anorexia?

In any case, it is true that there are some false values, such as the virtue of being thin and skinny. Individual young women who are sensitive to it may experience anorexia if there is a feeling of low self-affirmation or discord in the relationship between parents and children, etc. It is easy to fall into the extreme behavior of losing weight if you do not eat by combining it with the positive wish at first glance, 'I want to be thin and beautiful' and 'I want to be recognized'. The trigger is a problem that is hidden only in the familiar thing called diet, and neither the people around him nor the patient himself are aware of it.

Is heredity related?

It doesn't matter. As a result, it is true that families of people with anorexia are often prone to eating disorders as well. Although there are environmental factors that the family lives together, it is thought that the temperament prone to anorexia, such as anxiety, perfectionism, intensity of concentration, and impulsivity, may be due to abnormalities in the brain function called serotonergic crabs. there is. It is not uncommon for so-called families to have similar personalities or temperaments, which is why anorexia is hereditary in this regard.

How to treat anorexia

How is it treated if it is caused by a mental problem?

First of all, we seek to improve city behavior and overcome psychological factors with only outpatient counseling. Hospitalization is when the body is weakened due to severe malnutrition, and amenorrhea, electrolyte abnormalities, and liver dysfunction are concurrently occurring. Pharmacotherapy includes adequate nutritional supplementation, hormones that promote menstrual resumption, vitamins that supplement nutrients lacking in potassium, and antidepressant medications as needed. In addition, as a psychological therapy, treatment that approaches both body and mind, such as mental care, is performed. Most of the anorexia is caused by strong stress, low sense of self-affirmation, and troubles and troubles in interpersonal relationships at school, work, or family. There are cases where mental disorders such as suppressive depressive states, obsessive compulsive disorder, and stabbing behavior are combined. However, medication alone does not solve the problem, so it is common to combine it with counseling or cognitive behavioral therapy.

Please tell me what precautions to take before treatment.

Anorexia doesn't happen randomly. The most difficult thing is for the patient who cannot control his or her mental behavior with his doctor. And with the right support, it's important to rush to a specialized agency before it's too late.

Is there anything that people around the patient should be careful about?

It is necessary to be careful as anorexia may lead to excessive consumption of laxatives and sleeping pills, or suicide.

In fact, the mortality rate of patients with eating disorders such as anorexia is about ten times higher than that of the general population, and the suicide rate jumps about two hundred times.

In order not to cause such a tragedy, it is important that the people around you, such as family and friends, better understand anorexia and provide adequate support for the patient himself.

In the media and SNS, not only celebrities but also general public, women like models appear, and skinny ones are popular. Young women are susceptible to such influences, and in most cases, the cause of anorexia is a little diet. In addition, such a person has troubles in human relationships or a background with low self-esteem. If the successful experience gained while losing weight is not forgotten and the abnormal cognitive behavior continues, this time it tends to lead to overeating. It was too late when I was mentally and physically debilitated by the loop of the wedding again because of the guilt over these foods. If you have any mental problems other than not eating well, we recommend that you first see a psychiatrist.

organize

Anorexia refers to a serious eating disorder that stems from the fear of 'not wanting to gain weight'. However, in the background, not only the desire to lose weight and maintain style, but also various factors, such as troubles at school, work, and home, in addition to distortion of one's own body image. In addition, the guilt about eating leads to theft or overeating, and in many cases, serious mental illness. To do this, since it is most important to understand and cooperate with the person living with you or a person close to you about anorexia, let's first discuss it with your family and with a specialist such as an internal medicine or psychiatric internal medicine.