Characteristics of Anorexia: Symptoms, Causes, Treatments

The Characteristics of the anorexy Are to overestimate the value of thinness, an excessive concern for weight and an exaggerated fear of gaining weight.

These ideas alter eating behaviors and facilitate behaviors that have the purpose of avoiding gaining weight.

Anorexia, causes, symptoms and treatment

The term anorexia means"lack of appetite", although in this disease that is not quite correct.

In fact, in the early stages the person experiences a feeling of hunger, since it is when he begins to reduce intake, denying hunger and repressing it with willpower.

Due to the multitude of medical complications you may have, it is important to start treating it as soon as possible.

It is estimated that 5-20% of anorexic people die, usually due to complications related to heart problems, kidney problems, pneumonia...

The longer the disease is suffered, the higher the mortality rate and the more urgent the initiation of treatment.

INDEX

1-Types of anorexia

2-Statistics

3-Characteristics

4-Causes

5-Evaluation

6-Treatment

7-Treatment model

1-Types of anorexia

According to him DSM-IV Anorexia nervosa is divided into two subtypes:

Compulsive / purgative: the person frequently resorts to purges or binges.
Restrictive: the person does not resort to binges or purges.

The most common purges are excessive use of laxatives, vomiting, enemas or diuretics.

2-Statistics

In the female population, it reaches 3%
In the general population, it affects 1%
It is much more common in women than in men with a ratio of 9 to 1 (at least). Other authors believe that this ratio is 15 to 1
The group of young people of 14-19 years is the one of greater risk
Because anorexia has a higher mortality rate than other psychiatric disorders (8-10%), it is important to start treatment as soon as possible
Although treatment is received, there is a high probability that the disorder will be chronic (approximately 25% of cases). Hence the importance of keeping track.

3-Physical and cognitive characteristics

Alteration of body image
Excess of concern about body shape and size
Great fear of gaining weight
Presence of major physical alterations such as Amenorrhea
Very significant loss of body weight
Overvalued idea of thinness
Physical exercise controls the person. He can not stop practicing it because not doing so provokes him anxiety .

4-Causes of Anorexia Nervosa

There are several models explaining the factors that explain the causes of anorexia.

Precipitating factors

Body image: bullying , Bodily changes, mockery of the body image of the affected
Stressful events: divorce, change of school, Couple breaks , Rapid weight gain

Predisposing factors

Family members: psychopathologies in family members, family conflicts, parents worried excessively by the physicist, obese parents
Social: idealization of thinness, social pressure towards thinness
Personal: having or having been overweight, being a teenager, being a woman, low self-esteem, Perfectionism, idealization of thinness

Maintenance factors

Decreased basal metabolic rite: it facilitates the chronicity of the picture and the weight gain
Reaction of people: there may be people who reinforce the behavior
Frustration and hunger: decreases self-esteem and increases the level of personal hyperresponsiveness
Restrictive diet: hunger generates anxiety which is reduced by restricting diet to show that it is able to control intake

5-Evaluation

To evaluate the eating disorders Like anorexia it is necessary to take into account several factors due to its complexity.

Probably a multidisciplinary approach is needed with psychologists, psychiatrists, nutritionists and internists.

To ensure that the information given by the patient is real, it is advisable to consult other sources of information (family, teachers).

The following are the main areas in which to evaluate patients with anorexia:

Cognitive factors

The level of self-will and perfectionism will be known
Assess self-esteem
It will be necessary to evaluate and detect cognitive distortions or irrational beliefs related to body image, weight, fear of gaining weight and food
The specific content of the patient's beliefs and distortions will be identified.

Ingestion behavior

The information needed to know the person's eating pattern is:

Average intake: number of intakes a day, time, place, how you eat
Content and quantity: calorie content, types of food, how to prepare food
Presence of loss of control: what triggers it, if followed by purgative behaviors
Attitudes towards food: nutritional requirements of the adult, misconceptions, knowledge of nutrition
Restricted intake: forbidden foods, how much is avoided, fasting...

Body weight

Here are some indicators that allow you to know if you suffer from anorexia:

1-Quetelet Body Mass Index (BMI) = Weight (kg) / height (m)

BMI> 25 = overweight
BMI 20-25 = normal
BMI 18-20) = underweight
BMI

2-Relative Weight Index = Actual Weight / Ideal Weight x 10

IPR> 120 = obesity
IPR of 100 = weight corresponding to size and age
IPR
Ideal weight: the expected for the age and size of the person

Body image

The alteration of the body image of the person with anorexia can be a trigger or a maintenance factor.

The most important thing to keep in mind is:

Avoidance behaviors

Evaluate if there are avoidance behaviors such as: do not put on the bathing suit, do not look in the mirror, always wear wide clothing, avoid buying new clothes.

Reinsurance behavior

Evaluate if there are reassurance behaviors such as looking at oneself frequently in the mirror, weighing yourself continuously, measuring body parts...

Degree of distortion of body image

Calculate the distortion index from the body's perception index (BIS).
Evaluate the tendency to overestimate the body dimensions of certain parts of the body (abdomen, glutes, hips).

Degree of satisfaction with the body

Evaluate if there is the will to lose weight or modify the body image.
Value the person's assessment of his own body, emotional state, attributions, misconceptions about his figure, degree of satisfaction with the body.

Family environment

It will be necessary to know information related to the family of the type:

Excessive Conflicts and Worries
Presence of reinforcements and punishments
Wrong beliefs of the family towards food, image or weight
Family environment
Attitude of the family towards the disease of the person

Associated psychopathologies

Evaluating whether the person has any psychopathology in addition to anorexia is important in establishing diagnosis and treatment.

Some psychopathologies such as anxiety or depression may be the cause and consequence of anorexia.

People with anorexia may also have:

Social phobia
Generalized anxiety
Depression
Aggressive behaviors
Alcohol abuse
Obsessive-compulsive disorder
Lack of impulse control

6-Treatment of anorexia nervosa

The treatment of anorexia nervosa aims to:

Improve physical fitness
Modify erroneous beliefs related to weight, image and food
Improve family and social relationships
Eliminate harmful eating habits
Start a healthy eating habit
Improve eating habits

Duration: the duration is usually long, from a year to at least four years.

Depending on the severity of the person, it will be decided whether to proceed to hospitalization.

It is recommended that the person's life be altered as little as possible and if hospitalization is necessary, for as short a time as possible.

This decision will be based on:

Psychological criteria

Failures in previous treatments
Risk of suicide

Medical Criteria

Hypoglycemia, amenorrhea, electrolyte imbalance
IPR, BMI

Cognitive behavioral therapy

The objective of the Cognitive-behavioral treatment Is to eliminate irrational thoughts about food and personal image and replace them with more correct ones.

The important cognitive aspect and the emotional alterations contribute to maintain the anorexia nervosa.

From the Beck's cognitive therapy

HE Improves self-esteem : That the patient does not base his assessment or his physical or in the opinions of others
Irrational ideas about weight and food are modified

Behavioral treatment

Behavioral treatment aims to increase weight and change eating habits.

If the person is in the hospital, he will be deprived of internet, television, visits, etc., until he has reached the desired weight.

It is important that you provide feedback to the person about the weight you are in and about the calories and foods you are ingesting.

In addition, the patient will be educated on how to structure meals. To plan meals and ensure a correct intake of calories, you will need to consult a nutritionist.

On the other hand, the nutritionist's information will serve to correct the erroneous beliefs that the person with anorexia has.

Some techniques for establishing desired behaviors are chip economics and behavioral contracts.

To overcome the fear of getting fat you can use the technique of systematic desensitization.

Pharmacological treatments

The use of pharmacological treatment should be prescribed by a doctor or psychiatrist and used if there is no remedy, due to the side effects that these drugs cause.

Neuroleptics may be used to treat changes in body image and delusions about weight
Use of appetite stimulants
Antidepressants are used to treat depressive symptoms