Anorexia
Anorexia nervosa is a psychiatric condition, which is part of a group of eating disorders. The cause of anorexia has not been definitely established, but self-esteem and body-image issues, societal pressures, and genetic factors likely play a role. Anorexia affects female more than males. It is the most common in adolescent females. Anorexia tends to affect the middle and upper socioeconomic classes than less advantaged classes and ethnic minorities in the United States. The disorder affects about 1% of adolescent girls and about 0.3% of males in the U.S.
A person with anorexia often initially begins dieting to lose weight. The drive to become thinner comes from the concerns and fear which relates to one’s body. The individual continues the ongoing cycle of restrictive eating which often accompanied by other behaviors such as excessive exercising or the overuse of diet pills to induce loss of appetite.
Treatment: For an individual with severe weight loss that has impaired with severe weight loss must focus on correction of malnutrition. In addition, they should focus on an intravenous feeding that goes past the mouth may be required. A gain of between 1 to 3 pounds per week is a safe and attainable goal when malnutrition must be corrected.
Sometimes weight gain is achieved using schedules for eating, decreased physical activity, and increased social activity, either on an inpatient or outpatient basis. For individuals who have suffered from anorexia for several years, the goals of treatment may need to be achieved more slowly in order to prevent the anorexia sufferer from relapsing as a result of being overwhelmed by treatment.