How Does Anorexia Nervosa Affect Patient Recovery

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 is an eating disorder and a mental health condition that could potentially be life-threatening. People with anorexia try to keep their weight as low as possible by restricting the amount of food they eat. They often have a distorted image of themselves, thinking that they're fat when they're not.  Some people with the condition also exercise excessively, and some eat a lot of food in a short space of time (binge eating) and then make themselves sick. People affected by anorexia often go to great attempts to hide their behaviour from their family and friends by lying about eating and what they have eaten. Anorexia is linked to

Anorexia is a serious mental health condition. It is an eating disorder where people try to keep their body weight as low as possible. DSM5 outlines the key diagnostic features for anorexia. Firstly, people with anorexia will restrict behaviours that promote healthy body weight. This could mean that they are consequentially underweight and this can be due to dieting, exercising and purging. There will also be a significant fear of weight gain, but this fear will not be relieved by weight loss. There will be a persistent fear that interferes with weight gain. Lastly, there will be a disturbed perception of ones weight and/or shape and denial of underweight status and its seriousness. Anorexia accounts for 10% of eating disorders in the UK and has

Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder that involves extreme weight loss, restricted food intake, and an intense fear of becoming fat. The American Psychiatric Association outlines four diagnostic criteria for anorexia. The first is refusal to maintain body weight. The second is intense fear of gaining weight or becoming fat, even though underweight. The third is denial of the seriousness of low body weight. The

There are numerous screenings listed in the guidelines and strategies as when to perform the screenings that could be utilized by nurses that are less expensive to perform then may be thought. There are numerous evidence based screening tools that can be used for PTSD. The primary care PTSD screening tool (PC-PTSD) screening tool is a 4 question tool of yes or no reply’s that has been used by the Veterans Administration. A response of 3 or more yes’s would be considered positive (VA, 2003). If this 4 question screening tool was utilized by nurses in the hospitals during admission assessments, discharge assessments, or daily assessments the early symptoms of PTSD could be uncovered and appropriate consultations could be made to psychiatric/mental

People with anorexia nervosa have a tendency to look in the mirror and see their body as overweight and ugly even when in reality they are dangerously thin. A sufferer of anorexia nervosa can be underweight, emaciated with protruding bones or a sunken appearance. They can experience fatigue, dizziness or even fainting. The nails become brittle, the hair can fall out, and women can even experience loss of menstruation or irregularities in their menstrual cycle (Timberline, 2005).

There are many symptoms that go along with the anorexia nervosa disorder. It might be hard to notice the signs at first because people living with the

“Refusal to eat, Denial of hunger, Fear of gaining weight, Lying about how much food has been eaten, Flat mood (lack of emotion), Social withdrawal, Irritability, Reduced interest in sex, Depressed mood, Thoughts of suicide”("Anorexia Nervosa")

Anorexia nervosa once diagnosed can be treated to help combat the disorder and prevent it from worsening. Anorexia treatment begins with the anorexia realizing they need treatment and seekings professional help (Smith, M., & Segal, J., 2016). Treatment usually consists of medical, mental, and dietary professionals (Anorexia Nervosa-Cause, n.d.). Medical treatment is necessary to deal with health problems that can result from malnutrition or starvation (Anorexia Nervosa-Cause, n.d.). In Throughout the recovery process, monitors of vital signs, hydration levels, and electrolytes will be necessary (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2016). In severe cases, a feeding tube can be necessary for initial treatment (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2016). However, more commonly

Patients have not "lost" interest in food, they have intentionally restricted their food intake because of an irrational fear of being or becoming fat. Anorexia nervosa is a mental illness that has no cause its more caused by a biological environment and psychological factors Being underweight and not having a normal diet may have an effect on the brain which reinforces behaviors and obsessive thoughts related to anorexia nervosa. In other words, under-eating and being underweight can set off a cycle of further weight loss and under-eating. Anorexia nervosa is associated with severe health consequences related to malnutrition. Health effects can include dry skin, hair loss, difficulty regulating temperature, slow heart rate and blood pressure, muscle weakness, loss of bone density and severe dehydration that can lead to kidney failure. Women can experience a loss of menses and infertility. Men may experience a loss of sexual desire and impotency. Anorexia nervosa has the highest mortality rate of any psychiatric illness—between 5-20%. The causes of death associated with anorexia nervosa are medical consequences associated with malnutrition and suicide. The mortality rate is higher amongst individual’s concurrently experiencing anorexia nervosa and a substance use disorder. Signs of anorexia are unexplained weight loss Food rituals (eating only specific foods, taking small bites, cutting food in small pieces) Social isolation (including avoidance of social situations with food) Extreme anxiety about weight gain Body dissatisfaction Denial of hunger Preoccupation with food, calories, collecting recipes and cooking Checking body parts, frequent

Developing other mental disorders can be a sign for anorexia. Often it is linked with depression("Anorexia Nervosa"UM) because self-hatred and comparison to others. Depression can also be linked with problems such as anxiety, which can be especially bad with anorexics. Many people suffering from anorexia have sever anxiety about food and social anxiety problems. This is partially because of their preoccupation with weight, food, calories, fat and dieting. Obsessive Compulsive disorder can also stem from anorexia because of obsessive food rituals, such as organization and chewing excessively ("Anorexia Nervosa"NEDA).

Anorexia nervosa is associated with physical and psychosocial morbidity. The medical complications mostly result from caloric restriction and weight loss and affect most major organ system. The following are some of anorexia nervosa’s most common physical signs and symptoms: bradycardia (<60 beats per minute); orthostatic hypotension, loss of subcutaneous fat tissue, hypothermia, hair loss, disturbance of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, secondary amenorrhea, neurological symptoms and osteoporosis

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manuel of Mental Disorders 5th edition defines anorexia nervosa as an eating disorder characterized by self-starvation and excessive weight loss; it is a serious and potentially life-threatening disorder. According to the DSM 5, the typical diagnostic symptoms of anorexia nervosa are: dramatic weight loss leading to significant low body weight for the individuals age, sex, and health; preoccupation with weight; restriction of food, calories and fat; constant dieting; feeling “fat” or overweight despite weight loss and fear about gaining weight or being “fat.” Many individuals with anorexia nervosa deny feeling hungry and often avoid eating meals with others, resulting in withdrawal from usual friends and activities

Symptoms of eating disorders include attitudes and emotions when dealing with weight and food issues. One type of eating disorder is anorexia nervosa. This eating disorder is more common in women than men. “Approximately 90-95% of anorexia nervosa sufferers are girls and women” (Anorexia-nervosa, n.d.). Although the amount of women versus men is so high, only about 0.5-1 percent of American women actually suffer from the disorder. Anorexia nervosa is a life threatening eating disorder in which a person starves him or herself and has excessive weight loss. When the body is starved, the body slows down all its processes to conserve energy. When the body is slowed down like that, then serious medical consequences can arise. Serious medical consequences may include fainting, muscle loss, hair loss, abnormally slow heart rate, and low blood pressure. One symptom of anorexia nervosa is “inadequate food intake

Anorexia Nervosa is an eating disorder that develops extreme physical changes. This disorder is when a person tends to “starve” themselves because of imperfections in their bodies. There are two main types of anorexia nervosa, which include; restricting type and binge-eating type. Restricting is the most common when a person restricts their intake of food. Binge-eating is the same concept of restricting except includes binge-eating before and/ over exercise. Anorexia Nervosa has many devastating physical effects that affect; hair/skin, heart, and vital organs.