Anorexia Nervosa Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Anorexia Nervosa - Research Paper Example Anorexia Nervosa is an eating disorder portrayed by food restriction, rational fear of gaining body weight, and body self-perception distortion. Anorexia Nervosa typically involves loss of excess body weight and is mainly common in females than in males (Garrett, 2008). Because of fear of gaining more body weight, people with Anorexia Nervosa disorder restrict the type and amount of food they eat. This food intake restriction cause hormonal and metabolic disorders. Outside medical literature, people frequently use the term Anorexia and Nervosa interchangeably; nevertheless, Anorexia is a medical term that simply means lack of appetite, although, patient with such disorder do not, actually, lose their appetite (Fonagy, 2005). Patients with this disorder may experience headache, lack of energy, drowsiness, and dizziness. Anorexia Nervosa associates with inappropriate eating habits, losing body weight, obsession to have a slender body figure, and fear of increasing body weight mostly with females. Anorexia Nervosa often couples with self-image distortion, which is maintained by a range of cognitive biases that change how the patient evaluates and thinks about his or her body, food, and eating (Hoek, 2008). People suffering from Anorexia Nervosa often term themselves as â€Å"too fat† even when they are extremely underweight. They may perform repetitive measuring, weighing, mirror gazing, and other obsessive practices to be sure that they remain thin. This practice commonly refers to â€Å"body checking† (First & Tasman, 2011). ... Anorexia Nervosa is a serious mental disorder with a high Co morbidity incidence and higher mortality rates of psychiatric disorders. Individuals suffering from Anorexia Nervosa have tremendously high ghrelin levels (hunger hormone that signals the physiological need for food). This ghrelin high level proposes that such individuals’ bodies are desperately trying to cause hunger to them; however, these individuals suppress, ignore, or override that hunger call (Neinstein & Neinstein, 2008). Nevertheless, a certain research found that ghrelin intravenous administration to the patients’ bodies’ increases intake of food by 12% to 36% during the trial period. Signs and symptoms Anorexia Nervosa Most individuals keep on struggling with how their body shape should be at a time, and it is generally for people to discuss about exercise and dieting. Anorexia Nervosa disorders are dangerous since they are not gym exercise attempts to lose weight (Lock & Le, 2013). Such diso rders are serious, and therefore, it is crucial to identify the symptoms for one to be able to support the affected ones to get the necessary help that they require. Discussed below are some of the signs and symptoms of Anorexia Nervosa (Sadock, Sadock & Sadock, 2008). Recent body weight changes- Individuals with Anorexia Nervosa disorder are normally underweight but may as well be overweight. Rapid and significant change in body weight can be an Anorexia Nervosa warning symptom. It is vital to understand that some individuals with this disorder also have normal weight (Petit & Adamec, 2005). Fear of body weight gain/ body image problems- People with Anorexia Nervosa disorder