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It was 6 months ago when I realized my daughter, Jen, had an eating disorder. Jen has always been a picky eater. But I started to see that she moved food around her plate. And she never ate very much. She exercised all the timeeven when she was sick. And she was sick a lot. She became very skinny and pale. Her hair was thinning. Jen was moody and seemed sadI thought that's what teens act like. But once I put the signs together, I talked to Jen about anorexia. She denied she had a problem, but I knew she needed help. I took her to our doctor, and she asked me to put Jen in the hospital. It's been a tough road since then for all of us, but Jen is back home now. She is still seeing her doctors and may need help for some time. But she's doing much better.
A person with anorexia (a-neh-RECK-see-ah) nervosa, often called anorexia, has an intense fear of gaining weight. Someone with anorexia thinks about food a lot and limits the food she or he eats, even though she or he is too thin. Anorexia is more than just a problem with food. It's a way of using food or starving oneself to feel more in control of life and to ease tension, anger, and anxiety. Most people with anorexia are female. An anorexic:
While anorexia mostly affects girls and women (9095 percent), it can also affect boys and men. It was once thought that women of color were shielded from eating disorders by their cultures, which tend to be more accepting of different body sizes. Sadly, research shows that as African American, Latina, Asian/Pacific Islander, and American Indian and Alaska Native women are more exposed to images of thin women, they also become more likely to develop eating disorders.
There is no single known cause of anorexia. But some things may play a part:
Someone with anorexia may look very thin. She or he may use extreme measures to lose weight by:
Someone with anorexia may also have a distorted body image, shown by thinking she or he is fat, wearing baggy clothes, weighing her or himself many times a day, and fearing weight gain.
Anorexia can also cause someone to not act like her or himself. She or he may talk about weight and food all the time, not eat in front of others, be moody or sad, or not want to go out with friends.
With anorexia, your body doesn't get the energy from foods that it needs, so it slows down. Look at the picture below to find out how anorexia affects your health.
Yes. Someone with anorexia can get better. A health care team of doctors, nutritionists, and therapists will help the patient get better. They will help her or him learn healthy eating patterns, cope with thoughts and feelings, and gain weight. With outpatient care, the patient receives treatment through visits with members of their health care team. Some patients may need "partial hospitalization." This means that the person goes to the hospital during the day for treatment, but lives at home. Sometimes, the patient goes to a hospital and stays there for treatment. After leaving the hospital, the patient continues to get help from her or his health care team.
Individual counseling can also help someone with anorexia. If the patient is young, counseling may involve the whole family too. Support groups may also be a part of treatment. In support groups, patients and families meet and share what they've been through.
Often, eating disorders happen along with mental health problems such as depression and anxiety. These problems are treated along with the anorexia. Treatment may include medicines that fix hormone imbalances that play a role in these disorders.
It depends. When a woman has active anorexia, meaning she currently has anorexia, she does not get her period and usually does not ovulate. This makes it hard to get pregnant. Women who have recovered from anorexia and are at a healthy weight have a better chance of getting pregnant. If you're having a hard time getting pregnant, see your doctor.
Yes. Women who have anorexia while they are pregnant are more likely to lose the baby. If a woman with anorexia doesn't lose the baby, she is more likely to have the baby early, deliver by C-section, and have depression after the baby is born.
If someone you know is showing signs of anorexia, you may be able to help.
Adapted from "What Should I Say? Tips for Talking to a Friend Who May Be Struggling with an Eating Disorder" from the National Eating Disorders Association.
You can find out more about anorexia by contacting the National Women's Health Information Center (NWHIC) at 1-800-994-9662 or the following organizations:
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), NIH, HHS
Phone: (866) 615-NIMH (6464)
Internet Address: http://www.nimh.nih.gov
Academy for Eating Disorders
Phone: (847) 498-4274
Internet Address: http://www.aedweb.org
National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders
Phone: (847) 831-3438
Internet Address: http://www.anad.org
National Eating Disorders Association
Phone: (800) 931-2237
Internet Address: http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org
All material contained in this FAQ is free of copyright restrictions, and may be copied, reproduced, or duplicated without permission of the Office on Women's Health in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Citation of the source is appreciated.
This FAQ was reviewed by:
Barbara Wolfe, PhD, APRN, FAAN
Professor
William F. Connell School of Nursing
Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA
September 2006
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