Mental and Physical Symptoms of Anorexia that You Should Know

Anorexia Nervosa is known as the world’s most dangerous eating disorder and also has the highest rate of mortality. Different types of eating disorders are projected in not a quite right way and change many factors due to the artistic approach. It affects almost 1 million people per year in the Indian subcontinent and is also prevalent worldwide. In most of the cases, it goes undetected as parents, family members and other people surrounding the patient are themselves unaware of its presence or cover it up unknowingly as “bad habits” or “being too choosy”.

It is one of the deadliest disorders so ignoring it is not an option. Females are most affected by this disorder followed by kids and teens. It is not limited to a certain geographical location, religion, beliefs, lifestyles, classes, borders, cultures, etc. Most of the people who suffer from it are not aware of the condition and try to justify their diet, weight, and growth. So in this article, I would try my best to cover up some crucial points like what is anorexia nervosa, and what are its symptoms? So let’s get started.

What is Anorexia Nervosa?

There are several types of eating disorders which are studied under psychology, one such disorder is Anorexia Nervosa. It is differentiated generally as loss of appetite, The patient denies eating the required amount of food and his weight starts falling rapidly. This mainly triggers psychological reasons like insecurities, low self-esteem, negative image of one’s own body, and its structure. The patients of this disorder are found to be believing that they are obese or overweight from eating too much food. This marks the beginning of becoming too conscious about what they are eating which then turns into obsession, they also become phobic of gaining more weight. So the patients start restricting themselves from eating food, they start eliminating items that they feel are not necessary and eventually, that results in inadequate calories.

People with this disorder are often found to be working, thinking, and calculating all the factors which lead to weight gain like calorie count, weighing each serving, weighing themselves again and again, etc. This becomes a problem of another level when they start applying different methods to lose weight like the repetitive use of strong laxatives, only ingesting liquid foods, using enema again and again, etc. All of this can not only hamper with your diet but can also lower your BMI to unhealthy levels, hormonal imbalances, irregular menstrual cycles, poor bodily functions, anemia, fragile bones, heart, kidney and liver conditions, and whatnot.

Signs and Symptoms of Anorexia Nervosa:

As already mentioned above people suffering from this disorder may not even be aware of its presence and may continue to live their life as it is. So if you see these symptoms in any of your family members, friends or colleagues then do seek professional advice as the situation can get worse without proper treatment. A lot of these symptoms are physically visible in nature as they occur due to poor state of body and lack of diet.

1. Physical Symptoms:

The most found physical symptoms in the case of Anorexia Nervosa are:

• Feeling too cold, especially in hands and the bottom of feet. The hair all over the body can be seen in different states as they are preventing body heat from escaping.
• Poor condition of nails and they become easily crack able.
• Poor condition of skin, pale coloring, chipping skin.
• Hair fall, thin hair and damage to the scalp.
• Significant weight Loss, low BMI.
• Anemic condition.
• Loss of muscle, fat tissue and bone tissue.
• Lack of energy, frequent fainting, lightheadedness.
• Pain in the abdominal region and other stomach related problems like frequent constipation, acid reflux, etc.

2. Mental/Behavior Related Symptoms:

• Depression, tension, anxiety.
• Low self-esteem, bad self-image.
• Craving for appreciation and approval from people around.
• Little to no social interaction and life.
• Low libido, mood swings, frustration.
• Making up of excuses whenever anyone talks about food.

• Eating alone, not joining for a group or family meal.
• Can be found observing self in the mirror again and again.
• Cooking their own food and getting irritated if someone points out something.
• May express fears and concerns about gaining weight and body shape.

So these were some of the most displayed symptoms of people suffering from Anorexia Nervosa. It may still be possible that the patient projects different symptoms from the mentioned ones or even hide them to avoid annoying and irritating conversations. So if you feel that the condition is in there then do seek professional help as soon as possible as it can not only help cure the disorder but will also prevent the worsening of the current one.

I hope it helps.

Thanks for reading!

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