CCED understands the behavioral and emotional components of anorexia nervosa and the serious effects they have on individuals. We encourage you to speak with our Trusted Specialist.
Anorexia nervosa is not a “diet gone bad.” Although the behavior may begin with a diet program, the diet itself is not responsible for the onset of an eating disorder. Instead, anorexia nervosa is a painful internal emotion of fear, associated both with food and with the perception of one’s own body.
Most people who are anorexic will require treatment that supports both the behavioral process of increasing weight and food intake, along with the emotional process of targeting the negative thoughts and perceptions to work towards recovery.
Types of Anorexia Nervosa
There are two behavioral forms of anorexia nervosa: restricting and binging/purging. The restricting type describes individuals who have lost or controlled their weight primarily through limiting food or calorie intake, as well as excessive exercise.
The binging/purging type describes individuals who engage in binge eating and/or purging (self-induced vomiting or the use of diuretics or laxatives), while restricting the amount of food or calories that they eat in an effort to reduce or control weight.
Signs of Anorexia Nervosa include:
- An intense fear of gaining weight, or a refusal to maintain normal body weight
- An inaccurate perception of body weight, shape or size
- A strong preoccupation with food
- Weight loss/control typically through limiting of food intake, but may also include purging (self-induced vomiting)
- Over-exercise
- Misuse of diuretics, diet pills or laxatives
Anorexia Nervosa Effects
Adults are likely to experience a drop in weight, while adolescents or children may fail to gain and “fall off” their expected weight-growth pattern. Women experience either a delay in starting menstruation, or a loss of menstrual functioning (amenorrhea). By definition, individuals with anorexia nervosa are below normal weight standards.