5 Myths about Anorexia Nervosa
Anorexia Nervosa is a serious eating disorder that is generally identified by the pathological fear of weight gain leading to extreme weight loss
. Individuals who suffer from this disorder severely limit their consumption of food, to a point where it is impossible for them to maintain a safe and healthy body weight. In addition to this, sufferers often exhibit behavioural changes in other aspects of their lives that may be detrimental to their wellbeing.
Anorexia Nervosa is a major eating disorder that affects in the order of eleven million people in the United States of America alone. The vast majority of those , approximately 87%, are under 20 years of age and the number of females affected is ten times greater than the number of males, although the number of males affected is on the increase.
Despite awareness campaigns, there are still a number of myths about Anorexia Nervosa that are circulating in popular culture. The main ones are listed below.
Myth: "Anorexia Nervosa is incurable"
Fact: Anorexia Nervosa is curable. As with most illnesses, the earlier the condition is detected the better the prognosis of complete success. Research observations from around the world show that if patients undergo treatment and continue with it for the required time (this time being different for each individual) then there is every possibility of full recovery.
Myth: "People with Anorexia Nervosa do not engage in binge eating"
Fact: This is misconception that many people have. People with anorexia may at times engage in binge eating. These bingeing episodes are followed by purging and the food that has been consumed is got rid of through the use of laxatives, vomiting, or excessive exercise.
Myth: "People with Anorexia Nervosa do not eat"
Fact: This idea is exaggerated, particularly in the earlier stages of the condition. Though individuals who suffer from anorexia are very restrictive about the food they eat and keep to quite drastic diets, they are human beings and therefore, need to eat to survive. Generally, in order to achieve the goal of having a slim body, anorexics stay away from foods that are high or even moderate in calories. As the condition progresses the amount of food ingested does decrease and decrease until the point where it can become life threatening. So it is important not to wait for things to get to that point before help is sought.
Myth: "Only overweight or underweight individuals suffer from Anorexia Nervosa"
Fact: Anorexia Nervosa is not always about food. In most cases it is a physical manifestation of an emotional problem and is an obsessional behaviour. Therefore body shape may not necessarily be an indicator of Anorexia Nervosa and should be utilised as an indicator in conjunction with other physical indicators and behaviours.
Myth: "If a child decides not to eat meat then it's a sign they are developing Anorexia Nervosa"
Fact: It is important to note that just because a child decides to become a vegetarian it does not mean that he or she is becoming Anorexic. In the vast majority of cases it is simply that the child does not want to eat meat.
Apart from these myths, one common area of confusion is Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa. Although some of the symptoms of Anorexia may bear a resemblance to those of Bulimia Nervosa, each of these two common types of eating disorder have various distinctive features. The key point that one needs to understand is that people with eating disorders can have oscillatory behaviours and Anorexics can become Bulimics, or vice versa.
It is very important to get remove the various myths associated to any disease or condition. Listening to those myths can make things more difficult for a sufferer to overcome the condition. Having the correct knowledge and information regarding conditions like Anorexia Nervosa can help to make things easier for the patient to recover from disease effectively.
5 Myths about Anorexia Nervosa
By: Tis Amit
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