What Are The Causes Of Anorexia Nervosa? |
This day and age, there is no reason why a normally healthy adolescent or adult would starve themselves, sometimes to the point of death, voluntarily. In North America and Europe, there is more than enough food, and even for those who can't afford it, the government makes sure those in poverty have enough to eat to survive. So why would someone choose self-starvation over living a healthy life?
If there are physiological reasons for anorexia nervosa, none have yet been found. To date, no series of laboratory tests have discovered faulty DNA, the "heredity factor" is absent, and anorexics show no abnormalities of the brain through magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans.
Ruling out physical causes leaves us to turn to emotional/psychological causes of anorexia. Countless studies indicate these possible psychological causes of anorexia nervosa: Patients exhibit obsessive-compulsive features in many life areas e.g. maintaining rigid schedules, making lists, and "checking" behavior common to those with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.
An anorexic will rarely, if ever, bring his or her self in for treatment or be open about their situation and problem. Most of the time, anorexics come to the attention of a therapist through their physician or a concerned family member.
Anorexic patients do not see their behavior as problematic; they see themselves through distorted eyes that tell them that they need to lose even more weight through starvation and excessive exercise. Patients often have co-morbid conditions such as major depression, anxiety disorders, and obsessive-compulsive features.
Anorexics never eat in public, have feelings of personal inadequacy, have a sense of perfectionism, seldom have a social life, and display rigidity in thinking patterns.
Patients have a very restricted emotional affect; real emotional displays (either positive or negative), are superficial or completely absent. Anorexics have an intense need to control what goes into their bodies. If they believe they lack control in other aspect of their lives, only they have the power to eat or not to eat.
A fairly recent finding in the etiology of Anorexia Nervosa suggests that many sufferers were physically and/or sexually abused as children. As a result of this intrusion to their bodies, they subconsciously seek to make themselves unattractive to avoid future sexual exploitation. They share this characteristic with those suffering from Bulimia Nervosa where sufferers become obese to make themselves unattractive sexually.
After reviewing the facts, it would seem that anorexia appears to be the sole result of psychological factors, all of which lead the sufferer to extreme self-starvation and obsessive behavior. Left untreated, this condition is always fatal.
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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