Anorexia Nervosa Health Information

Top : Conditions and Diseases : Anorexia Nervosa

Learn About Anorexia Nervosa:


Anorexia nervosa is an illness that usually occurs in teenage girls, but it can also occur in teenage boys, and adult women and men. People with anorexia are obsessed with being thin and have an intense fear of gaining weight, have a distored body image, and may be obsessed with exercise. The term anorexia literally means loss of appetite, but this is a misnomer. In fact, people with anorexia nervosa ignore hunger and thus control their desire to eat. People with anorexia nervosa usually lose weight by reducing their total food intake and exercising excessively.

Causes of Anorexia Nervosa:

Anorexia nervosa can be developed due to today's societal pressure to be thin, which is seen in advertising and the media. They want to achieve an "ideal" figure. People especially at risk for this eating disorder include athletes, actors, dancers, models, and TV personalities for whom thinness has become a professional requirement.

Treatment for Anorexia Nervosa:

People with this disorder should be diagnosed and treated as soon as possible because eating disorders are most successfully treated when diagnosed early. Some patients can be treated as outpatients, but some may need hospitalization to stabilize their dangerously low weight. Weight gain of one to three pounds per week is considered safe and desirable.

Some treatments for anorexia nervosa include:
  • Some form of psychotherapy
  • Cognitive-behavioral therapy
  • Family therapy
  • A physician or advanced-practice nurse is needed to prescribe medications that may be useful in treating the disorder

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