Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder
characterized by immoderate food restriction and irrational fear of
gaining weight, as well as a distorted body self-perception. It
typically involves excessive weight loss and is usually found more in
females than in males.
Due to the fear of gaining weight, people with this disorder restrict
the amount of food they consume. This restriction of food intake causes
metabolic and hormonal disorders. Outside of medical literature, the terms anorexia nervosa and anorexia are often used interchangeably; however, anorexia is simply a medical term for lack of appetite, and people with anorexia nervosa do not in fact, lose their appetites. Anorexia nervosa has many complicated implications and may be thought of as a lifelong illness that may never be truly cured,
but only managed over time. Patients suffering from Anorexia nervosa
may experience dizziness, headaches, drowsiness and a lack of energy.
Anorexia nervosa is characterized by low body weight, inappropriate
eating habits, obsession with having a thin figure, and the fear of
gaining weight. It is often coupled with a distorted self image which may be maintained by various cognitive biases that alter how the affected individual evaluates and thinks about her or his body, food and eating. Those suffering from anorexia often view themselves as "too fat" even if they are already underweight.
They may practice repetitive weighing, measuring, and mirror gazing,
alongside other obsessive actions to make sure they are still thin, a
common practice known as "body checking".
Anorexia nervosa most often has its onset in adolescence and is more prevalent among adolescent females than adolescent males. However, more recent studies show the onset age has decreased from an average of 13 to 17 years of age to 9 to 12. While it can affect men and women of any age, race, and socioeconomic and cultural background, anorexia nervosa occurs in ten times more females than males.
People with anorexia nervosa continue to feel hunger, but they deny themselves all but very small quantities of food.
The average caloric intake of a person with anorexia nervosa is 600–800
calories per day, but extreme cases of complete self-starvation are
known. It is a serious mental illness with a high incidence of comorbidity and similarly high mortality rates to serious psychiatric disorders. People suffering from anorexia have extremely high levels of ghrelin
(the hunger hormone that signals a physiological desire for food) in
their blood. The high levels of ghrelin suggests that their bodies are
trying to desperately switch the hunger aspect on, however, that hunger
call is being suppressed, ignored, or overridden. Nevertheless, one
small single-blind study found that intravenous administration of
ghrelin to anorexia nervosa patients increased food intake by 12–36%
over the trial period.
The term anorexia nervosa was established in 1873 by Sir William Gull, one of Queen Victoria's personal physicians. The term is of Greek origin: an- (ἀν-, prefix denoting negation) and orexis (ὄρεξις, "appetite"), thus meaning a lack of desire to eat.
However, while the term "anorexia nervosa" literally means "neurotic
loss of appetite", the literal meaning of the term is somewhat
misleading. Many anorexics do enjoy eating and have certainly not lost
their appetites as the term "loss of appetite" is normally understood;
it is better to regard anorexia nervosa as a self-punitive addiction to fasting, rather than a literal loss of appetite.
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