The Diagnostic Features Of Anorexia Nervosa |
If you seek understanding of a complicated psychiatric disorder like Anorexia Nervosa in simple English, the psycho-babble can leave you breathless and frustrated! Most of what we know about mental health conditions comes from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association, Version Four, and Text Revision otherwise known as the DSM-IV-TR. The fact that this "bible" of mental health disorders is in its fourth version tells us much about how our understanding of these disorders has changed and improved over the years. However, unless you're a skilled mental health practitioner, you have little chance of comprehending this confounding tome!
Trying to explain the diagnostic aspect of a heartbreaking condition such as anorexia in layman's terms can be difficult. Still, it is a necessary evil to understand the facts more than the emotions, if you or a loved one suffers from this illness. In the following paragraphs are some FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) style answers that might make learning about the disease a little easier.
How could a sixty-pound adult woman possibly see herself as fat? When emotionally healthy people look into the mirror, they believe what they see. Need to drop ten pounds? No problem. With anorexics, the mirror tells those lies; they may realize they're thin, but not too thin which, in fact, is the case. They see certain parts of their bodies as fat, most often their abdomen, buttocks and thighs. He/she literally does not "see" that their bones are protruding in a skeleton-like appearance.
Do anorexics think unhealthy weight loss is a positive achievement? Absolutely. Anorexia sufferers view weight loss as a sign of good self-discipline; weight gain is viewed as a failure, a loss of control.
Why do anorexic females stop having menstrual periods? When the body is starved to the point of near death, organ systems start to shut down to preserve what little function they have left. Thus, a woman's estrogen supply is in very short demand, so they stop ovulating and having periods. Fortunately, this isn't a fatal condition. When an anorexic's liver, kidneys are heart start to shut down, death is usually near.
Don't anorexics get hungry? No, not really. They have long ago short-circuited their brain's hunger trigger; if you ignore something long enough, you no longer recognize it.
Do anorexics know that they can die from their disease? Yes, but they deny that this will happen to them. If asked, sufferers know that their disease is potentially fatal, but somehow it won't happen to them.
Are most anorexics female? Yes. Adolescent girls and adult women are more prone to developing eating disorders. They have more peer and social pressure upon them to be thin. However, men also can develop anorexia; they tend to forgo eating in favor of intense body-building exercise.
If you have other questions about Anorexia Nervosa, use your Internet search engine to obtain as much "plain English" information as you can. The information is out there if you know where to search. There are some great websites that can help you discover more information about Anorexia Nervosa.
Here are some highly recommended solutions for eating disorders
Quick Tip #1
Its important to learn to identify the different Anorexia Nervosa Symptoms, so it can be prevented |
Quick Tip #2
If she vomits constantly after eating or not eating at all, those are clear signs of Anorexia |
Quick Tip #3
Anorexia is an eating disorder that requires not just medications but psychiatric help |
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