What is Anorexia?

Blog post #1

 

What is Anorexia? This is a commonly asked question by many people, and I am here to give you lots of information! The full name is Anorexia nervosa, although commonly just termed anorexia. This is a type of eating disorder that is very serious. People with anorexia have a fear of gaining weight, restrict themselves from food greatly, and have a twisted image of their body. This disease is a mental health condition, and not just an intense want to be skinny, or thin. Psychological and medical intervention may be necessary, as this disease can seriously affect someone’s life. Anorexia is most common among females who are adolescents or young adults, but it can still affect anyone at any age.

 

There are two types of anorexia nervosa. These include restricting diet, and binge-eating or purging. The restricting type includes excessive dieting, exercising, and fasting, where the binge eating type includes intermittent binging of food and can include purging after (What are eating disorders?, 2025).

 

There are several effects that can come with someone who takes part in behaviors of anorexia. These include dizziness and fainting, cold intolerance, cessation of menstrual periods, muscle weakness, constipation, depression, stress fractures, brittle hair and nails, anxiety and irritability, and heartburn.  Some more serious symptoms include kidney problems, seizures, and heart rhythm abnormalities (What are eating disorders?, 2025).

 

Treatment for anorexia nervosa includes a combination of nutritional counseling, psychological counseling, and medical care. Nutritional counseling can help with building a plan for what to eat to help with recovery and weight gain gradually. Meeting with a counselor can help to shift a patient’s mindset from being obsessive over activities, and help them see a clearer vision of themselves and body acceptance. Medical care may be necessary in some cases where treatment in a controlled environment or even hospitalization may be necessary. Informing parents of ways to help their child is also a very important step for the recovery of the patient. Parents are a necessary factor needed to support and help monitor meals and binging/purging of an adolescent. The steps to restoring eating behaviors, weight, and overall health of someone are the first steps to recovery, and while body dissatisfaction is also important, it may take much longer to fix and strengthen.

 

Thank you for reading my blog post! I hope that this information can help if you have anorexia nervosa, or if you know someone who has it. Recognizing that you have an eating disorder is always the first step towards recovery.

 

References

What are eating disorders?. Psychiatry.org - What are Eating Disorders? (2025). https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/eating-disorders/what-are-eating-disorders#section_1