Anorexia Nervosa

What is it?

Anorexia Nervosa is an eating disorder that mainly affects girls, although boys do also suffer from it.

Anorexia Nervosa often has its first presentation in adolescence, although it can occur prior to this and also can first occur in adulthood.

It is an illness that is associated with:

  • Someone with anorexia nervosa worries all the time about being fat (even if they are skinny) and eats very little. They lose a lot of weight and their periods become irregular or stop.
  • An obsessional fear of gaining weight and being overweight.
  • A distorted self image: someone with a distorted self image wil not perceive their shape in the same way as they are seen by others.
  • Distorted thinking: thoughts will be distored, negative and self critical.  This automatic negative thinking will influence the behaviours that in turn lead to the maintenance of the Anorexia Nervosa.

How may Anorexia Nervosa Present?

The following are some of the behaviours and signs that may indicate a young person has Anorexia Nervosa:

  • Obvious weight loss - this may also be rapid and dramatic
  • Clear fear of weight gain
  • Ritualistic behaviours with food: e.g. cutting up food exceptionally small, having increasingly rigid rules about what, when and where they will eat
  • Obsessive about calorie and fat content of foods and in conjunction with this, food restriction
  • Excessive exercise and/or activity
  • Self induced vomiting
  • Hiding food
  • Use of laxatives, diurectics and/or diet pills
  • Absence of periods
  • Complaints of lethargy, being cold and/or difficulty with concentration
  • Becoming increasingly withdrawn from family and peers
  • Growth of fine body hair (lanugo)

What to do Next?

  • If you feel at any point that the young person is so unwell that they require emergency attention you should contact the local accident and emergency department
  • Consider talking to the young person and letting them know what you have noticed and that you are concerned
  • You should raise your concerns with their parents, liaise with the GP and/or Rise, the mental health service for children and young people, for advice
  • Consider signposting them to some helpful websites and/or giving some appropriate leaflets