Anorexia Nervosa Facts
Anorexia nervosa is a serious, potentially life-threatening eating disorder characterized by self-starvation and excessive weight loss.
Anorexia Has Four Primary Symptoms:
- Resistance to maintaining body weight at or above a minimally normal weight for age and height.
- Intense fear of weight gain or being fat, even though underweight.
- Disturbance in the experience of body weight or shape, undue influence of weight or shape on self-evaluation or denial of the seriousness of low body weight.
- Loss of menstrual periods in girls and women post-puberty.
Eating disorders experts have found that early intervention improves the chances of anorexia recovery. Therefore, it is important to be aware of some of the warning signs of anorexia nervosa.
Warning Signs of Anorexia Nervosa
- Dramatic weight loss
- Preoccupation with weight, food, calories, fat grams and dieting
- Refusal to eat certain foods, progressing to restrictions against whole categories of food (e.g. no carbohydrates, etc.)
- Frequent comments about feeling fat or overweight despite weight loss
- Anxiety about gaining weight or being fat
- Denial of hunger
- Development of food rituals (e.g. eating foods in certain orders, excessive chewing, rearranging food on a plate)
- Consistent excuses to avoid mealtimes or situations involving food
- Excessive, rigid exercise regimen despite weather, fatigue, illness or injury
- Withdrawal from usual friends and activities
- In general, behaviors and attitudes indicating that weight loss, dieting and control of food are becoming primary concerns
Treatment Goals of Anorexia
McCallum Place is an eating disorder treatment center specializing in treating anorexia offering a residential treatment program, partial hospital and transition living. In these programs, individuals who suffer from anorexia nervosa will meet with an eating disorder specialist to receive individualized treatment designed to meet their specific needs. The primary goals at McCallum Place are stabilization of symptoms, weight restoration and beginning to build the foundation for a strong recovery. In all we do, we strive to help individuals build the confidence and skills necessary to let go of their patterns of restrictive eating. Our protocols are designed to help patients restore weight to within 90% of ideal body weight and to minimize relapse from vomiting and compulsive exercise. Patients practice weight maintenance and flexible eating prior to discharge. When possible, a gradual step down is recommended to ease the transition back to independent living. We give individuals the power to manage the fears associated with new meal expectations and changes in body size. Our goal is to change the way each individual uses food and body image to express underlying emotional needs and concerns.