Symptoms of Anorexia

Classified as a psychiatric illness, anorexia nervosa is a severe medical condition wherein patients are suffering from an eating disorder. These patients feel excessive fear to gain weight because of a distorted body image and extremely low body weight. Common causes include overuse of weight control measures, excessive exercise and voluntary starvation. Patients can easily survive the minor and major symptoms of anorexia by understanding much better its diagnosis as well as possible treatments.

Signs of Anorexia

People suffering from this medical condition usually experience a variety of symptoms including behavioral, emotional and physical signs. Some of the early symptoms of this disease include preoccupation with food, denial of hunger and refusal to eat. Furthermore, it is also marked by other behavioral and emotional characteristics including lack of emotion, flat mood and excessive exercise.

More importantly, extra care and attention must be given to the physical signs of anorexia. It is very easy to determine individuals who are suffering from this medical condition because most of the time, they exhibit a variety of obvious symptoms including dry skin, brittle nails and overly thin appearance. Moreover, patients may also show other signs like osteoporosis, constipation and the absence of menstruation. In addition, life is made difficult for patients because of dizziness, abnormal blood counts and extreme weight loss.

Anorexia Diagnosis

Upon the early onset of signs, it is good for patients to consult doctors right away. To help diagnose the cause of the problem, they need to undergo a series of medical tests and exams. These include physical exam, wherein the temperature, blood pressure and heart rate of patients will be checked. As part of this important procedure, physicians will also examine the abdomen, the lungs as well as the skin of patients. Because this medical problem is primarily psychiatric in nature, mental health professionals may want to conduct psychological evaluations.

Other studies may also be performed including electrocardiograms and x-rays. Another solid basis for determining individuals who are truly suffering from anorexia nervosa is the so-called Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, which was published by the highly reputable American Psychiatric Association. Causes of this particular medical problem can be classified into sociocultural, psychological and biological factors.

Anorexia Treatment

After identifying the causes of the minor and major signs of this medical condition, it is now time to recommend the possible treatments for patients. Psychiatric medications and antidepressants can be given to those suffering from anxiety and depression. Furthermore, it is also good to enroll patients in nutritional therapy and psychotherapy. It is also advisable to monitor some of the important aspects affecting the patients like the psychiatric problems, electrolyte imbalances and dehydration.