Anorexia
The full name of Anorexia is Anorexia Nervosa, but is now normally shortened to Anorexia. Overall Anorexia is displayed as being very underweight, often dangerously so. Anorexia is the most serious of all eating disorders. However, a person suffering from Bingeing or Bulimia, may eventually develop into Anorexia. Usually a person with Anorexia is primarily concerned with losing weight, via restricting food and or excessive exercise.
This is a very serious mental health disorder and needs to be treated by an integrative combination of adapted CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) plus Psychotherapy (to identify, process and release the original Root Cause). It must be stressed that this is not about just extreme dieting, just event dieting or just fussy eating. It is triggered and driven by the person’s desperate need to attempt to ‘be in control of something’. This is in response to the client thinking and feeling this is the only thing in their whole life that they can control. Often in addition to controlled, minimal eating or avoidance of food, they will exercise in an excessive and self-abusive way.
Anorexia usually develops from a normal worry then acute anxiety about body shape and body weight. This is stimulated from a deep down fear of being very fat. Often they have a very abnormal distorted image of themselves, being certain they are very fat, when in reality they are very thin and often dangerously thin. In extreme cases where they do not accept help or therapy, they may need to be supported for a short while in a dedicated mental health provision.
Many young people or adults have been very secretive in hiding their condition of Anorexia for a very long time. The first step is helping them to understand and accept immediate help and support. In almost all cases Anorexia may seem to be the visual obvious problem or symptom, however there is nearly always a deeper set of undercover challenges. These daily triggers are often connected with depression, anxiety, panic, self-esteem or BDD (Body Dysmorphic Disorder)
People with Anorexia suffer continuously by other people’s misconceptions or assumptions, e.g. ‘they’ve took dieting too far’ etc. Very rarely does anyone get to know how the anorexic person feels deep down. Our first line of support, help and empowerment is to identify daily or situational triggers, to help the person slowly increase food. Our second line of therapy is to identify the very first trigger, known as the Root Cause.
Many anorexic clients eventually confide in us and tell us about e.g. childhood abuse, childhood accident or trauma, absent parent(s), parental conflict, school or college bullying, acute anxiety or panic, loss of a childhood best friend or childhood love object, alcohol mis-use, drugs mis-use or self-harm.
Until recently almost all cases of people coming forward to be treated for Anorexia were girls and women, however, in the last three years boys and men have started to come forward for help. The condition usually develops between the ages of 15-17 years old.
It can take several years of treatment to fully recover from Anorexia and stress-driven events may produce a new bout of Anorexia. Long term a person may eventually suffer from fragile bones (osteoporosis), infertility or irregular heartbeats. Anorexia is definitely one of the leading causes of mental health deaths due to malnutrition or suicide.