Early Detection In Adolescents: Anorexia Nervosa

Incidences of Anorexia Nervosa have appeared to increase sharply in the USA, UK and western European countries since the beginning of the 60s (Gordon, 2001). The increasing prevalence of the disease has led the World Health Organisation to declare eating disorders a global priority area within adolescent mental health (Becker et al. 2011). Anorexia has in many ways become a modern epidemic (Gordon, 2000) and with a mortality rate of 10% per decade (Gorwood et al. 2003), the highest of any mental disorder (Bulik et al. 2006), it is an epidemic that social and biological scientists have been working tirelessly to understand.

With Anorexia Nervosa, there is a strong fear of weight gain and a preoccupation with body image. Those diagnosed may show a resistance in maintaining body weight or denial of their illness. Additionally, anorexics may deny their hunger, have eating rituals such as excessive chewing and arranging food on a plate, and seek privacy when they are eating. For women, they go through immediate body changes from abnormal to no menstruation periods and develop lanugo all over their bodies. Characteristics of an anorexic individual also consist of extreme exercise patterns, loosely worn clothing, and maintain very private lives. Socially, to avoid criticism or concern from others, they may distant themselves from friends and activities they once enjoyed. Instead, their primary concerns revolve around weight loss, calorie intake, and dieting. In regards to health, many will have an abnormal slow heart rate and low blood pressure, some can develop osteoporosis, severe dehydration which can result in kidney failure, and overall feel weak (Robbins, 27-29). It has been reported that Anorexia Nervosa has one of the highest death rates in any mental health condition in America (www.NationalEatingDisorders.org).

Anorexia nervosa, otherwise stated as anorexia, is an eating disorder that occurs when an individual restricts themselves from necessary energy intake which leads to significantly low body weight. Other characteristics of this disorder include: intense fear of becoming fat or gaining weight, persistent behavior that interferes with weight gain, and disturbances of perception and experience of their own body weight and shape (DSM V, 2013). Effective treatments are still trying to be researched for this disorder, as there is not a “one size fits all” for people of all age groups, living situations, etc. Since adolescents with anorexia are such a vulnerable population,

2) What are the main diagnostic components of anorexia nervosa? What are the two types

Categorically, adolescents with anorexia nervosa have a chronic low body weight and are below 85 percent of their expected body weight (Lock, & Fitzpatrick, 2007). Anorexia nervosa is most commonly diagnosed in adolescents, an age that can increase the risks of malnutrition, weight loss, osteoporosis, growth arrest, and absent puberty. Anorexia nervosa can damage an adolescent’s identity, and has the highest death rates of any psychiatric illness (Aspen & Boutelle, 2013; Grave et al., 2014). Adolescents that suffer from anorexia nervosa tend to be perfectionists causing them to focus on negative beliefs, fear of failure, and fear of disapproval. They are often high achievers, are inflexible and rigid in their thinking, and see their symptoms as achievements (Hurst & Zimmer- Gembeck, 2015; Westwood & Kendal, 2012).

Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder that consists of self-regulated food restriction in which the person strives for thinness and also involves distortion of the way the person sees his or her own body. An anorexic person weighs less than 85% of their ideal body weight. The prevalence of eating disorders is between .5-1% of women aged 15-40 and about 1/20 of this number occurs in men. Anorexia affects all aspects of an affected person's life including emotional health, physical health, and relationships with others (Shekter-Wolfson et al 5-6). A study completed in 1996 showed that anorexics also tend to possess traits that are obsessive in nature and carry heavy emotional

Anorexia nervosa is a deadly eating disorder which makes people think that they are fat, even when they are really skinny. Anorexia is not only a physical disorder, but also a physiological disorder. The people who have it often feel fat, even though others say they aren’t, they are also scared of gaining weight. In order to prevent others from getting suspicious, they lie about the amount they eat.Normally, people who are 15% lighter than the expected body weight have Anorexia. A misconception that they develop is that they think that the thinner they are, the more they worth (self-worth). Anorexia Nervosa was first named and recognized in society in 1873. The name was given by Sir William Withey Gull.

Eating disorders develop typically during adolescence. Triggers include a distorted view of an ideal body image, abuse, and the need to control a particular part of life. The eating disorders discussed include anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge-eating disorder (BED). These eating disorders lead to severe physical and mental health problems that may require a medical intervention.

Scope of the research: This study focuses on adolescents (aged 12-18 years) of both sexes meeting the criteria for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Anorexia Nervosa.

Female adolescents can develop eating disorders because of the way the media portrays models. Adolescent girls’ attitude of the thin ideal leads to body dissatisfaction, which in return puts them at risk for serious eating disorders like bulimia and anorexia nervosa. Bulimia is an emotional disorder involving distortion of body image and an obsessive desire to lose weight, in which bouts of extreme overeating are followed by depression and self-induced vomiting, purging, or fasting. Anorexia nervosa is an emotional disorder characterized by an obsessive desire to lose weight by refusing to eat. Kara L. Kerr who is currently studying psychology, sociology, and women’s and gender studies at the University of Tulsa claims that “Approximately 40 percent of anorexia nervosa cases occur in females ages fifteen to nineteen” (1). Females’ that are the ages of fifteen to nineteen should not be worrying about the presentation of their

Eating disorders are complex illnesses that are affecting adolescents with increasing frequency [1]. They rank as the third most common chronic illness in adolescent females, with an incidence of up to 5% 1, 2 and 3. Three major subgroups are recognized: a restrictive form in which food intake is severely limited (anorexia nervosa); a bulimic form in which binge-eating episodes are followed by attempts to minimize the effects of overeating via vomiting, catharsis, exercise, or fasting (bulimia nervosa); and a third group in which all the criteria for anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa are not met. The latter group, often called “eating disorder not otherwise specified” or EDNOS, constitutes the majority of patients seen in referral centers treating adolescents [4]. Eating disorders are associated with serious biological, psychological, and sociological morbidity and significant mortality. Unique features of adolescents and the developmental process of adolescence are critical considerations in determining the diagnosis, treatment, and outcome of eating disorders in this age group. This position statement represents a consensus from Adolescent Medicine specialists from the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, and Australia regarding the diagnosis and management of eating disorders in adolescents. In keeping with the practice guidelines of the American Psychiatric Association [5] and the American Academy of Pediatrics [6], this statement integrates evidence-based medicine,

Anorexia nervosa is a serious, life-threatening eating disorder. Typically this disorder is diagnosed in young females and women, although males can be diagnosed with anorexia as well. Those with anorexia tend to have very low self-esteem because of their perceived body image. These individuals have a unhealthy fear of becoming “fat.” They will often avoid eating certain foods/food groups (carbohydrates, sugars, etc.) and will hardly come close to consuming the recommended daily amount of calorie intake. Due to an inadequate calorie intake and starvation within these individuals, excessive weight loss is bound to occur. According to the government website of eating disorders, the warning signs of anorexia nervosa include the following: “dramatic weight loss, preoccupation with weight, food, calories, fat grams, and dieting, frequent comments about feeling 'fat ' despite weight loss, denial of hunger, withdraw from usual friends and activities, and in general, behaviors and attitudes indicating that weight loss, dieting, and control of food are becoming primary concerns” (Anorexia Nervosa). Because the body is not being adequately supplied with the proper nutrients from the diet, it can not function properly and can lead to multiple problems within the body itself. Anorexia is very often comorbid with other psychological disorders, such as anxiety and depression (Junne, Zipfel, Wild, Martus, & Giel, 2016).

Eating disorders are becoming a greater concern in our appearance-focused culture due to the rising number of cases and the health risks they impose on those afflicted. Anorexia nervosa is the most dangerous of these disorders due to its extremely high mortality rate. It is both a medical disorder and a psychological disorder, and its symptoms and consequences affect anorexia nervosa patients long after they have received treatment. Many factors must be considered when studying the onset of this disease, determining which individuals will develop it, and forming a plan of action to overcome it.

It seems today that eating disorders are on the rise. While this may be true, the numbers may appear to grow only because more cases are being brought out into the open. The purpose of this paper is to discuss eating disorders and prove the these disease, specifically Anorexia Nervosa, continue to plague of women due to psychological and environmental factors along with pressure from the media. The term “Anorexia Nervosa” is misleading. It means “loss of appetite due to nerves.” But people with anorexia don’t actually lose their appetite until the late stages of their starvation. Until, they do feel hungry, but they just won’t eat. People affected by anorexia have an extreme fear of gaining weight. In addition to drastic dieting, they

There are two main types of eating disorders: anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. The term ‘anorexia nervosa’ was coined in 1873 by an English physician, William Gull (Gordon, 2000). Anorexia nervosa is the most common eating disorder amongst teenage girls (source). Anorexia nervosa is characterized as self-induced starvation and excessive weight loss (Touchette, 2011). It is apparent that most young women watch and analyze their weight and eating patterns to try and attain what they believe society perceives as beautiful. However, they do not realize that this behaviour can lead to anorexia as