Anorexia Nervosa
What is Anorexia Nervosa?
Anorexia Nervosa is a serious eating disorder characterized by an intense fear of gaining weight and a distorted body image. Individuals with anorexia often severely restrict their food intake, leading to significant weight loss and malnutrition. Despite being underweight, they may still perceive themselves as overweight, which drives ongoing restrictive behaviors.
What Are the Symptoms of Anorexia Nervosa?
The symptoms of anorexia involve physical, emotional, and behavioral changes related to food and body image.
Common physical and behavioral signs include:
- Extreme restriction of food intake
- Intense fear of gaining weight
- Dramatic weight loss
- Excessive exercise or calorie burning
- Avoidance of meals or eating in front of others
Common emotional and psychological signs include:
- Distorted body image
- Denial of low body weight
- Preoccupation with food, dieting, and body shape
- Irritability or social withdrawal
- Depression or anxiety
These behaviors are driven by a need for control or perfectionism and can have life-threatening consequences if not treated early.
How Does Anorexia Nervosa Show Up in Different Ways?
Anorexia Nervosa can manifest in various patterns depending on behaviors and individual factors
1. Restricting Type
This form of Anorexia Nervosa is characterized by extreme limitation of food intake. Individuals may drastically reduce calories, avoid meals, or follow rigid dieting patterns without engaging in bingeing or purging behaviors. The goal is often rapid weight loss through control and self-discipline, driven by an intense fear of gaining weight.
2. Binge-Purge Type
In this subtype, individuals alternate between episodes of overeating (binging) and compensatory behaviors such as self-induced vomiting, misuse of laxatives, diuretics, or excessive exercise. Though different from bulimia, the core feature remains the same—an overwhelming concern with body weight and shape, leading to harmful cycles of behavior.
Associated Features:
Alongside the primary types, individuals with Anorexia Nervosa often exhibit additional psychological and physical symptoms.
Body image disturbance: Deep dissatisfaction with appearance, often perceiving oneself as overweight despite being underweight
Ritualistic behaviors: Cutting food into tiny pieces, hiding food, or obsessively weighing oneself
Medical complications: Weakness, fatigue, hair loss, dry skin, irregular or absent menstrual cycles, digestive problems, and even heart-related issues due to malnutrition
Mental health conditions: Anorexia frequently co-occurs with depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), or anxiety disorders, requiring a multidisciplinary treatment approach involving medical, nutritional, and psychological care
Anorexia may also coexist with depression, OCD, or anxiety disorders, making treatment multidisciplinary.
Here’s where you can find the best Eating Disorder Specialist in Juhu & Borivali, Mumbai:
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CritiCare Asia Multispeciality Hospital
Juhu, Gulmohar Road, Andheri, Mumbai
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Phoenix Multispeciality Hospital
Chikoowadi, Borivali West, Mumbai
