LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Anorexia: Anorexia Treatment
built 238 days ago
Anorexia is an eating disorder in which a person can literally starve himself or herself to death. While women tend to develop anorexia more than men, anyone can develop the disease. A common symptom of anorexia is excessive weight loss, and people with anorexia believe they are fat even when they are dangerously thin. Treatment for anorexia often includes therapy and nutritional counseling. More severe cases may require hospitalization.
Source:
Anorexia treatments are not for every individual who is underweight. People with anorexia who need assistance are at least 15% below their ideal body weight and refuse to maintain a normal weight for their height. Not everyone who is low weight has this problem. It is people who are purposefully refusing to eat to lose weight that need medical help.
Source:
Anorexia nervosa has a wide variety of medical complications that affect every system of the body and can be life threatening. Often, people who are later diagnosed with anorexia nervosa initially seek treatment for the medical symptoms caused by semistarvation. Undernourishment usually causes females with anorexia nervosa to stop menstruating (see Menstruation)—in fact, this symptom is so typical that it is one of the criteria used to diagnose the disease.
Source:
Anorexia Nervosa (AN) and Bulimia (BN) require a multidimensional approach to treatment, addressing all contributing factors. The initial step is to return eating to a more normal pattern. For bulimic patients, this stage involves cessation of bingeing, purging and dieting behaviors. For patients with AN, it involves reducing the fears of a normal body weight by a process of gradual weight restoration. Strategies include encouragement and support, the use of psychoeducational groups and materials and medication to reduce the anxiety associated with eating. Some form of nutritional supplementation may be required, which may range from food or nutrient supplements to nasogastric or intravenous feeding of AN patients in extreme low-weight states.
Source:
Anorexia nervosa most commonly starts in the mid-teens. About one in a hundred 16 to 18 year olds has the illness. It is much more common in girls. Bulimia nervosa usually starts when people are a little older, but is again more common in girls. Bulimia is more common than anorexia, although people with anorexia in particular do not always ask for treatment.
Source:
Anorexia can be treated with psychotherapy and diet advice but these are only effective if the person is ready to get better. Cognitive techniques which recognize the importance of addressing distorted self-body images and perfectionist thinking are frequently used, and should be part of the initial focus of treatment. Psychoeducational materials are sometimes used to instruct patients on how to recognize the appropriate body weight and body fat proportions of a normal body. Oftentimes additional psychiatric concerns must be addressed such as specific traumatic events or memories which may underlie the negative self-image associated with anorexia. Effective inpatient anorexia treatment sometimes uses behaviorally-oriented token economies which reward patients for eating regular meals. Self-help groups may ... be helpful.
Source:
MORE ABOUT
Anorexia Treatment