Psychological Medicine released results of an ongoing study by the University of Toronto and Toronto General Hospital that suggests recovering anorexics are prone to relapse.
Out of the 51 patients in the study, 35 percent fell back into anorexia within 18-24 months of initial recovery. Doctors and researchers will use this data to explore new options in the treatment of anorexia, as well as learn how to evaluate and monitor those released from the facilities.
Anorexia nervosa is a chronic eating disorder, that if left untreated, often leads to death. The disorder affects more women than men. While many believe it strikes adolescents more than any other age group, anorexia has been known to claim lives of any age. Anorexia nervosa has the highest mortality rate of the known psychiatric conditions, claiming the lives of up to six percent of its victims.
Signs that someone you know may be suffering from anorexia nervosa include:
Skipping meals/avoiding meals with others
Complaining of room/body temperature
Excessive exercise
Commenting on body image/fat
Unusual hair loss for a young person
Light coloured hair indicating starvation
Brittle nails
Confusion, irritability, depression and anxiety
Extreme weight loss
Change in personality
Wearing layers of clothing
Using laxatives or eating high fibre
Pale or grey skin
Complaining of headaches or dizziness
Constipation
Self-defeating statements or punishing themselves after eating
Previous studies reveal that those suffering with this disorder are generally bright individuals, but their aim to be "perfect", combined with hereditary factors, may leave them with a higher probability of anorexia and/or other eating disorders.
Anorexia nervosa is capable of significant damage to the brain and heart. As the individual's blood pressure and heart rate drops, chances of irregular heart rhythms or heart failure becomes prominent.
Neurotransmitters serotonin and norepinephrine are decreased in the brain of those with anorexia, which links them with patients suffering from chronic depression. Those with anorexia nervosa also tend to have higher than normal levels of vasopressin and cortisol.
Treatment includes psychotherapy, dietary changes via a qualified nutritionist, and family counselling. If the individual is unwilling to get treatment or refuses to see a specialist, the chances for death or later relapse are greater.
Anai Rhoads is a Human Rights journalist originally from Athens, Greece. Her work has been featured on several web-based newspapers and media outlets, which include ZMagazine, InfoShop.com, and Media Monitors. She is currently the Editor-in-Chief (more...)
The views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this website or its editors.
When clinicians characterize anorexia as a manifestation of a need to be "perfect," they're unwittingly pointing to a more progressive form of treatment.
Who else seeks perfection of sorts? Those on spiritual paths. Acknowledge that anoxrexics are in the grip of a spiritual impulse too and you might get their ear.
They've just gone off on a tributary and need to be diverted back to the main channel.
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Russ Wellen (58 articles, 1029 quicklinks, 66 diaries, 335 comments) on Wednesday, May 2, 2007 at 7:53:58 AM
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