What is Anorexia Nervosa?

This fact sheet describes the symptoms, causes, function and treatment options for Anorexia Nervosa.

Anorexia Nervosa is a type of eating disorder characterised by extreme food restriction, significant weight loss and an intense fear of gaining weight.

As the illness progresses, people with Anorexia Nervosa develop increasingly obsessive or rigid ways of thinking and behaving. They often become committed to extreme dieting, which may involve meticulous calorie counting, refusing food or fluids, and abiding by strict food rules.

It is also common for people with Anorexia Nervosa to exercise excessively and engage in other dangerous behaviours intended to lose weight (such as self-induced vomiting or misuse of laxatives).

People with Anorexia Nervosa experience a disturbance in the way they perceive their body, weight and shape.

Food restriction and weight loss result in malnutrition and starvation, which lead to a range of physical and psychological health complications, and can even result in death.

The Function of Anorexia Nervosa

Anorexia Nervosa is often used as a way of dealing with underlying personal, emotional and psychological difficulties. It can be experienced by the individual as helping them to function by numbing their emotions, providing a sense of accomplishment, helping them to feel in control, and can form a part of the individuals’ sense of identity.

The Causes of Anorexia Nervosa

A range of factors are believed to contribute to the development of Anorexia Nervosa, including genetics, biology, environmental and societal influences, as well as pre-existing anxiety or depression.

Like all eating disorders, Anorexia Nervosa can develop in males and females at any age. However, it often onsets during adolescence.

There is growing evidence to indicate that eating disorder are often preceded by anxiety and or depression.

Signs & Symptoms of Anorexia Nervosa

Physical signs

• Rapid weight loss, persistent low weight, failure to gain expected growth, or frequent weight changes

• Loss or disturbance of menstruation in girls and women and decreased libido in men

• Fainting or dizziness

• Feeling cold most of the time, even in warm weather

• Feeling bloated and constipated

• Feeling tired and not sleeping very well

• Lethargy or low energy

• Fine hair appearing on face and body

  Psychological signs

• Denial of any issues

• Preoccupation with eating, food, body shape and weight

• Feeling anxious and/or irritable around mealtimes

• Intense fear of gaining weight

• Low self-esteem and feelings of shame, self-loathing or guilt, particularly after eating

• Depression and anxiety

• Reduced capacity for thinking and increased difficulty concentrating

• ‘Black and white’ or rigid thinking

• Distorted body image, body image dissatisfaction

• Perfectionism

Behavioural signs

• Dieting behaviour
• Deliberate misuse of laxatives, appetite suppressants, enemas and diuretics
• Repetitive or obsessive behaviours relating to body shape and weight
• Evidence of binge eating
• Eating in private and avoiding meals with other people
• Anti-social behaviour
• Secrecy around eating
• Compulsive or excessive exercising
• Radical changes in food preferences
• Obsessive rituals around food preparation and eating
• Preoccupation with preparing food for others, recipes and nutrition
• Elimination of entire food groups

Treatment Options

The good news is that recovery from Anorexia
Nervosa is not only possible, but also to be
expected, providing the person receives timely and appropriate treatment.

Different treatments are likely to be beneficial at different stages of the illness.

For children and adolescents, the first line treatment recommendation is Family Based Treatment, commonly referred to as FBT or Maudsley Family Therapy.

For adults, the best evidence for treatment is a combination of nutritional rehabilitation and psychological therapies.

Hospital-based treatment may be required when a person needs medical stabilisation, nutritional rehabilitation and intensive support to manage disordered eating behaviours.

For any person with Anorexia Nervosa, it is important to seek care from an empathetic and skilled GP who can remained involved in your care throughout treatment and can monitor your physical health. A trained and skilled community clinician will almost always be needed to deliver evidence-based treatment.