Treatment of anorexia at home in adults. Anorexia treatment. Psychiatric and psychotherapeutic treatment

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Anorexia is a disease manifested by an eating disorder caused by disorders of the neuropsychic sphere, in which the desire to weight loss and fear of fullness. Many doctors and scientists consider anorexia a disease of the mental sphere with physical manifestations, since it is based on eating disorders, due to the peculiarities of the constitution, the type of reactions of the nervous system and brain activity.

People suffering from anorexia lose body weight by refusing food or taking only high-calorie foods, as well as tormenting yourself with heavy, prolonged, daily physical exertion, enemas, inducing vomiting after eating, or taking diuretics and "fat burners".

As weight loss progresses, when body weight becomes too low, a person develops various menstrual irregularities, muscle cramps, skin pallor, arrhythmia and other pathologies of internal organs, the functioning of which is impaired due to lack of nutrients. AT severe cases changes in the structure and functioning of the internal organs become irreversible, resulting in death.

Anorexia - general characteristics and types of disease

Since anorexia is understood as a state of refusal of food of various origins, this term reflects only the most common feature several disparate diseases. And so strict medical definition anorexia is rather vague, because it sounds like this: refusal of food in the presence of a physiological need for food, provoked by disturbances in the functioning of the food center in the brain.

Women are most susceptible to anorexia, in males this disease is extremely rare. Currently, according to statistics from developed countries, the ratio of women and men suffering from anorexia is 10: 1. That is, for ten women suffering from anorexia, there is only one man with the same disease. A similar predisposition and susceptibility to anorexia of females is explained by the peculiarities of the functioning of their nervous system, stronger emotionality and impressionability.

It should also be noted that anorexia, as a rule, develops in people with a high level of intelligence, sensitivity and some personality traits, such as persistence in achieving goals, pedantry, punctuality, inertness, uncompromisingness, painful pride, etc.

The assumption that anorexia develops in people with a hereditary predisposition to this disease has not been confirmed. However, it was found that in people suffering from anorexia, the number of relatives with mental illness, character anomalies (for example, despotism, etc.) or alcoholism reaches 17%, which is much more than the average for the population.

The causes of anorexia are varied and include both a person’s own personal characteristics and the influence of the environment, the behavior of loved ones (primarily mothers) and certain stereotypes and attitudes in society.

Depending on the leading mechanism of development and type causative factor that provoked the disease, there are three types of anorexia:

• Neurotic - due to excessive excitation of the cerebral cortex by strong experienced emotions, especially negative ones;
• Neurodynamic - due to inhibition of the center of appetite in the brain under the influence of irritants of extreme force of a non-emotional nature, for example, pain;
• Neuropsychiatric (also called nervous, or cachexia) - due to persistent volitional refusal to eat or a sharp restriction in the amount of food consumed, provoked by a mental disorder varying degrees gravity and character.

Neuropsychiatric anorexia stands apart, because it is provoked not so much by the impact of extreme force, but by an already developed and manifested disorder of the mental sphere. This does not mean that anorexia develops only in people with pronounced and severe mental illness, such as, for example, schizophrenia, manic-depressive psychosis, hypochondria, etc. After all, such mental disorders are relatively rare, and much more often psychiatrists are faced with the so-called borderline disorders, which in the medical environment are classified as mental illnesses, and at the household level are often considered simply personality traits. Yes, border mental disorders consider severe stress reactions, short-term depressive reactions, dissociative disorder, neurasthenia, various phobias and variants anxiety disorder etc. It is against the background of borderline disorders that anorexia nervosa most often develops, which is the most severe, long-lasting and common.

Neurotic and neurodynamic anorexia are usually recognized by a person who actively asks for help and turns to doctors, as a result of which their cure does not present any particular difficulties and in almost all cases is successful.

And anorexia nervosa, like drug addiction, alcoholism, gambling and other addictions, is not realized by a person, he stubbornly believes that "everything is under control" and he does not need the help of doctors. A person suffering from anorexia nervosa does not want to eat, on the contrary, hunger torments him quite strongly, but by an effort of will he refuses food under any pretext. If a person for some reason had to eat something, then after a while he can cause vomiting. To enhance the effect of refusal of food, anorexia nervosa sufferers often torture themselves with physical exercises, take diuretics and laxatives, various "fat burners", and also regularly induce vomiting after eating to empty the stomach.

In addition, this form of the disease is caused not only by the influence of external factors, but also by the characteristics of a person’s personality, and therefore its treatment presents the greatest difficulties, since it is necessary not only to debug the process of eating, but also to correct the psyche, forming the correct worldview and eliminating false stereotypes and attitudes. . This task is complex and complex, and therefore in the treatment anorexia nervosa a huge role belongs to psychologists and psychotherapists.

In addition to the indicated division of anorexia into three types, depending on the nature of the causative fact and the mechanism of the development of the disease, there is another widely used classification. According to the second classification, Anorexia is divided into two types:

• Primary (true) anorexia;
• Secondary (nervous) anorexia.

Secondary anorexia, or nervous, is caused by a conscious refusal or restriction of the amount of food consumed, which is provoked by borderline mental disorders in combination with the attitudes that exist in society and relationships between loved ones. In secondary anorexia, it is not the diseases that cause eating disorders, but a strong-willed refusal to eat, associated with the desire to lose weight or change one's appearance. That is, with secondary anorexia, there are no diseases that disrupt appetite and normal eating behavior.

Secondary anorexia, in fact, fully corresponds to the neuropsychic in terms of the mechanism of formation. And the primary one combines both neurodynamic, and neurotic, and anorexia caused by somatic, endocrine or other diseases. In the further text of the article, we will call secondary anorexia nervosa, since it is precisely this name that is most often used, common and, accordingly, understandable. We will call neurodynamic and neurotic anorexia primary or true, uniting them into one type, since their course and principles of therapy are very similar.

Thus, given all the signs and characteristics of various types of pathology, we can say that primary anorexia is a somatic disease (such as gastritis, duodenitis, coronary artery disease, etc.), and nervous - mental. Therefore, these two types of anorexia are quite different from each other.

Since anorexia nervosa is currently the most common and a big problem, we will consider this type of disease in as much detail as possible.

At the household level, distinguishing anorexia nervosa from primary is quite simple. The fact is that people suffering from anorexia nervosa hide their disease and condition, they stubbornly refuse medical care, believing that they are all right. They try not to advertise the refusal of food, reducing its consumption by various methods, for example, quietly shifting pieces from their plate to neighboring ones, throwing food in the trash or bags, ordering only light salads in cafes and restaurants, citing the fact that they are "not hungry" etc. And people suffering from primary anorexia realize that they need help, because they try to eat food, but they do not succeed. That is, if a person refuses the help of a doctor and stubbornly refuses to admit the existence of a problem, then we are talking about anorexia nervosa. If a person, on the contrary, is actively looking for ways to eliminate the problem, turns to doctors and is treated, then we are talking about primary anorexia.

Photo of anorexia

These photographs show a girl before the development of the disease and in the advanced stage of anorexia.

Causes of anorexia

Causes of true anorexia

So, the causes of primary anorexia can be the following diseases or states:

• Malignant tumors of any localization;
• Type I diabetes mellitus;
• Addison's disease;
• hypopituitarism;
• Chronic infectious diseases;
• Helminths that affect the intestines;
• Organ diseases digestive tract(gastritis, pancreatitis, hepatitis and liver cirrhosis, appendicitis);
• Chronic pain of any localization and origin;
• Alcoholism or drug addiction;
• Depression;
• Poisoning with various poisons;
• Neuroses with an anxious or phobic component;
• Schizophrenia;
• hypothalamic insufficiency;
• Kanner's syndrome;
• Sheehen's syndrome (pituitary necrosis, provoked by large blood loss with vascular collapse in the postpartum period);
• Simmonds syndrome (pituitary necrosis due to postpartum sepsis);
• Pernicious anemia;
• Severe avitaminosis;
• Temporal arteritis;
• Aneurysm of the intracranial branches of the internal carotid artery;
• brain tumors;
• Radiation therapy of the nasopharynx;
• Neurosurgical operation;
• Brain injury (for example, anorexia against the background of a fracture of the base of the skull, etc.);
• Chronic long-term renal failure;
• prolonged coma;
• Increased during long period time body temperature;
• dental diseases;
• Taking glucocorticoids (Dexamethasone, Prednisolone, etc.) or sex hormones, including oral contraceptives.

In young children, anorexia can be provoked by persistent constant overfeeding, as a result of which the child develops an aversion to eating, because he does not feel well after eating.

Thus, primary anorexia can be provoked various factors. However, it must be remembered that in these conditions or diseases, anorexia is not the main or leading syndrome, moreover, it may be completely absent. Therefore, the fact that a person has any of the above causative factors does not mean that he will necessarily develop anorexia, but its risk is higher compared to other people.

Causes of Anorexia Nervosa

Currently, the following causes of the development of anorexia nervosa have been identified:

• Personality traits (the presence of such traits as punctuality, pedantry, will, stubbornness, diligence, accuracy, morbid pride, inertia, rigidity, uncompromisingness, a tendency to overvalued and paranoid ideas);
• Frequent diseases of the digestive tract;
• Stereotypes regarding appearance that exist in the microenvironment and society (the cult of thinness, recognition of only slender girls as beautiful, weight requirements in the community of models, ballerinas, etc.);
• Severe course of adolescence, in which there is a fear of growing up and future changes in the structure of the body;
• Unfavorable family situation (mainly, the presence of hyper-custody on the part of the mother);
• The specificity of the body structure (thin and light bone, high growth).

A huge role in the development of anorexia nervosa belongs to overprotection by the mother. So, it has now been proven that girls of transitional, adolescence, who are faced with excessive guardianship and control from their mother, are very prone to anorexia. The point is that in adolescence girls begin to realize themselves as a separate person, for which they need self-affirmation among their peers, which is carried out through the performance of certain actions that are considered independent, inherent only in adults and therefore "cool". However, activities that teenagers perceive as "cool" and that they need to assert themselves are often frowned upon by adults.

As a rule, in the absence of overprotection on the part of adults, adolescents perform some actions that allow them to assert themselves and win "respect" and recognition among teenagers, after which they continue to develop normally mentally and form as a person. But girls under hyper-custody cannot perform these actions, and they need them for further personal growth, since they are independent and are interpreted as manifestations of their will and desires. After all, the child must leave the circle of "childish" parental instructions and prohibitions and begin his own, independent actions that will allow him to finally form and grow up.

And girls who suffer from overprotective mothers cannot afford to act independently, as adults still try to keep them in line with childhood prohibitions and limits. In such a situation, a teenager either decides to rebel and literally "breaks out" from under the mother's hyper-custody, or outwardly does not protest, restraining himself, but subconsciously looking for an area in which he can make independent decisions and, thereby, prove to himself that he adult.

As a result, the girl transfers the desire to express herself as a person through independent actions to control over food, starting to reduce its quantity and stubbornly restraining her hungry urges. A teenager perceives his ability to control the amount of food he eats precisely as a sign of an adult and independent act that he is already able to perform. Moreover, they are tormented by the feeling of hunger, but the ability to live a whole day without food, on the contrary, gives them strength and strengthens self-confidence, because the teenager feels that he was able to withstand the “test”, which means that he is strong and mature, able to manage own life and desires. That is, refusing food is a way to replace independent actions from other areas of life that adolescents cannot do due to the excessive guardianship of mothers who control all their steps and believe that the child is still too small and needs to be protected as long as possible and that's it. decide for him.

In fact, anorexia gives a teenager or adult with an unstable mentality the opportunity to feel psychologically fulfilled, because he can control his weight and what he eats. In other areas of life, a teenager turns out to be completely weak-willed, powerless and insolvent, and in refusing food - on the contrary. And since this is the only area in which a person is wealthy, he stubbornly continues to starve in order to get a psychological sense of success even at the risk of death. In some cases, people even enjoy the feeling of hunger, because the ability to endure it is their "talent", which others do not have, due to which a feature necessary for the personality appears, a kind of "zest".

What is anorexia nervosa and what are its causes: comments from a nutritionist and psychologist - video

Clinical picture of the disease

Symptoms of anorexia are the subjective sensations experienced by a person suffering from this disease. Unfortunately, patients with anorexia not only do not share these feelings with others, but diligently hide them, because they stubbornly believe that everything is in order with them. But people who managed to recover, after the experience, told all their feelings in detail, thanks to which the doctors managed to identify the symptoms of anorexia.

In addition to symptoms, doctors also distinguish signs of anorexia, which are understood as objective, visible to others changes in the human body that occur as a result of the disease. Signs, unlike symptoms, are objective manifestations, not subjective sensations, so they cannot be hidden from others, and they often play a crucial role in diagnosing and determining the severity of the condition.

Symptoms and signs of anorexia are not static, that is, they may be present at some stages of the disease and absent at others, and so on. This means that various signs and symptoms develop and manifest themselves in different periods course of anorexia. Usually their manifestation is determined by the degree of depletion of internal organs from a lack of nutrients, which, in turn, leads to disruption of the functioning of organs and systems and the corresponding clinical symptoms. Such disorders in the functioning of various organs and systems that have arisen against the background of the disease are often called complications or consequences of anorexia. Most often, people suffering from anorexia face the following complications: hair loss, brittle nails, dryness and thinning of the skin, susceptibility infectious diseases, violation of the menstrual cycle, up to complete cessation menstruation, bradycardia, hypotension, muscle atrophy, etc.

Symptoms and signs of primary and anorexia nervosa are almost the same. However, with primary anorexia, a person is aware of his problem and is not afraid of food. The rest of the changes in the body associated with a lack of nutrients are the same for any type of anorexia, so we will present the symptoms and signs of all types of the disease together.

Anorexia - symptoms

• Very low body weight, which decreases even more over time, that is, the process of losing weight does not stop, but continues, despite excessive thinness;
• Refusal to gain weight and maintain normal body weight;
• Absolute confidence that the current very low body weight is normal;
• Fear of food and restriction of food intake by any means and under various pretexts;
• Fear of fullness or excess weight, reaching a phobia;
• Weakness, pain, spasms and cramps in the muscles;
• Feeling uncomfortable after eating;
• Deterioration of blood circulation and microcirculation, which provokes a constant feeling of cold;
• Feeling that the events of life are out of control, that vigorous activity it is impossible that all efforts are in vain, etc.

Signs of anorexia

So, signs of anorexia are the following changes in eating behavior:

• Persistent desire to lose weight and reduce the calorie content of the daily diet, despite a very low body weight;
• Narrowing the circle of interests and focusing only on issues of food and weight loss (a person talks and thinks only about weight loss, excess weight, calories, food, food compatibility, their fat content, etc.);
• A fanatical calorie count and a desire to eat a little less every day than the previous one;
• Refusal to eat in public or a sharp decrease in the amount eaten, which is explained, at first glance, objective reasons, such as "already full", "had a hearty lunch", "I don't want", etc.;
• Ritual consumption of food with careful chewing of each piece or, on the contrary, swallowing almost without chewing, placing very small portions on a plate, cutting food into very small pieces, etc.;
• Chewing food, followed by spitting, which diligently drowns out the feeling of hunger;
• Refusal to participate in any activities that involve the consumption of food, as a result of which the person becomes withdrawn, unsociable, unsociable, etc.

• The desire to constantly perform hard physical exercises (constant exhausting workouts for several hours a day, etc.);
• Choice of baggy clothes that should hide supposedly overweight;
• Rigidity and fanaticism in defending one's opinion, peremptory judgments and inflexible thinking;
• A tendency to seclusion.

• Depressed state;
• Depression;
• Apathy;
• Insomnia and other sleep disorders;
• Loss of working capacity and ability to concentrate;
• Complete "withdrawal into oneself", obsession with one's weight and problems;
• Constant dissatisfaction with their appearance and the speed of losing weight;
• Psychological instability (mood swings, irritability, etc.);
• Severing social ties with friends, colleagues, relatives and loved ones;
• Arrhythmia, bradycardia (heart rate less than 55 beats per minute), myocardial dystrophy and other cardiac disorders;
• A person does not believe that he is sick, but on the contrary, considers himself healthy and leading correct image life;
• Refusal of treatment, from going to the doctor, from consultation and help of specialists;
• Body weight is significantly below the age norm;
• General weakness, constant dizziness, frequent fainting;
• The growth of fine vellus hair all over the body;
• Hair loss on the head, flaking and brittle nails;
• Dryness, pallor and laxity of the skin, with blue fingers and the tip of the nose;
• Lack of libido, decreased sexual activity;
• Violations of the menstrual cycle up to amenorrhea (complete cessation of menstruation);
• Hypotension (low blood pressure);
• Low body temperature (hypothermia);
• Cold hands and feet;
• Muscle atrophy and dystrophic changes in the structure of internal organs with the development of multiple organ failure (for example, renal, hepatic, cardiac, etc.);
• swelling;
• hemorrhages;
• Severe disorders of water-salt metabolism;
• Gastroenterocolitis;
• Prolapse of internal organs.

In anorexic patients, refusal to eat is usually due to obsession and the desire to correct or prevent a defect in the full figure. It should be remembered that people hide their desire to lose weight, and therefore visible signs anorexia in their behavior does not appear immediately. At first, a person refuses to eat episodically, which, of course, does not cause any suspicion. Then all high-calorie foods are excluded and the number of meals during the day is reduced. When eating together, anorexic teens try to shift pieces from their plate to others, or even hide or throw away food. However, paradoxically, anorexics willingly cook and literally "feed" other family members or loved ones.

An anorexic person refuses to eat with the help of powerful volitional efforts, because he has an appetite, he wants to eat, but is mortally afraid to get better. If you force a person suffering from anorexia to eat, then he will make various efforts to get rid of the food that has entered the body. To do this, he will induce vomiting, drink laxatives, give an enema, etc.

In addition, in order to achieve weight loss and "burn" calories, anorexics try to constantly be on the move, exhausting themselves with workouts. To do this, they visit gym do all the housework, try to walk a lot, and avoid just sitting or lying still.

As physical exhaustion progresses, the anorexic develops depression and insomnia, which in the initial stages are manifested by irritability, anxiety, tension, and difficulty in falling asleep. In addition, the lack of nutrients leads to the phenomena of beriberi and to dystrophic changes in internal organs that cease to function normally.

Stages of anorexia

• Dysmorphomaniac - at this stage, a person has dissatisfaction with his own appearance and the associated feeling of his own inferiority and inferiority. A person is constantly depressed, anxious, looks at his reflection in the mirror for a long time, finding, in his opinion, terrible flaws that just need to be corrected (for example, full legs, rounded cheeks, etc.). It is after realizing the need to correct the shortcomings that a person begins to limit himself in food and look for various diets. This period lasts from 2 to 4 years.
• anorexic- on the this stage a person begins to constantly starve, refusing food and constantly trying to make his own daily ration minimal, resulting in a fairly rapid and intense weight loss of 20 - 50% of the original. That is, if a girl weighed 50 kg before the start of the anorexic stage, then by the end of it she would lose from 10 to 20 kg of weight. To enhance the effect of losing weight, patients at this stage begin to carry out exhausting, hours-long workouts, take laxatives and diuretics, do enemas and gastric lavages, etc. At this stage, bulimia often joins anorexia, as a person is simply unable to restrain a terrible, excruciating hunger. In order not to "get fat", after each meal or an attack of bulimia, anorectics induce vomiting, wash the stomach, give an enema, drink a laxative, etc. Due to weight loss, hypotension develops, interruptions in the work of the heart, the menstrual cycle is disturbed, the skin becomes rough, flabby and dry, hair falls out, nails exfoliate and break, etc. In severe cases, failure of an organ develops, for example, renal, hepatic, cardiac or adrenal, from which, as a rule, death occurs. This stage lasts from 1 to 2 years.
• cachectic- at this stage, the loss of body weight becomes critical (more than 50% of the norm), as a result of which irreversible dystrophy of all internal organs begins. Edema appears due to protein deficiency, any food ceases to be absorbed due to irreversible changes in the structure of the digestive tract, internal organs stop working normally and death occurs. The cachectic stage can last up to six months, however, if during this period urgent measures are not taken and treatment of a person is not started, then the disease will end in death. Currently, about 20% of patients with anorexia die, who could not be helped in a timely manner.

It must be remembered that these three stages are characteristic only of anorexia nervosa. True anorexia proceeds in one stage, which corresponds to cachectic for anorexia nervosa, since a person loses the ability to eat normally sharply, without any previous psychological abnormalities and dissatisfaction with one's own appearance.

weight for anorexia

Treatment of anorexia

Treatment of anorexia nervosa is much longer and more complicated than true anorexia, since there is a very powerful psychological component in its development. Therefore, the treatment of anorexia nervosa consists of properly selected psychotherapy, therapeutic nutrition and taking medicines, the action of which is aimed at stopping and eliminating painful symptoms from various organs and systems, including the central nervous system. Besides, in without fail general tonic preparations, vitamins and protein solutions are used, which make it possible to make up for the deficiency of all nutrients in the body as soon as possible.

The psychotherapy of anorexia nervosa is aimed at reassessing values ​​and reorienting the personality to other aspects of life, as well as forming another self-image that is perceived as beautiful (for example, instead of a thin girl, imagine a magnificent beauty with rosy cheeks, full breasts, luxurious hips, etc.) . It is on the success of psychotherapy that the final result of treatment and the speed of full recovery depend.

Therapeutic nutrition is a crushed soft semi-liquid or mushy food prepared from high-calorie, easily digestible foods with a high protein content (caviar, fish, lean meat, vegetables, fruits, cereals, dairy products, etc.). If an anorexic has protein edema, or he does not absorb well protein food, then a protein solution (for example, Polyamine) should be administered intravenously, and light food should be fed. In severe cases, a person is fed parenterally in the first 2 to 3 weeks, that is, special nutrient solutions are administered intravenously. When body weight increases by 2 - 3 kg, you can cancel parenteral nutrition and switch to eating in the usual way.

So that a person suffering from anorexia does not cause vomiting after eating, it is necessary to inject 0.5 ml of a 0.1% solution of Atropine subcutaneously 20 to 30 minutes before eating. After eating, it is necessary to monitor the patient for 2 hours so that he does not secretly induce vomiting and does not wash the stomach. Feed a person should be 6 - 8 times a day, giving him food in small portions. It is advisable to put the anorexic sufferer to bed after eating so that he can lie down calmly or even sleep.

On average, medical high-calorie food it is necessary within 7 - 9 weeks, after which it is possible to gradually transfer a person to ordinary foods prepared in the usual ways. However, the calorie content of the diet should remain high until the person gains normal body weight for his age and height.

Anorexic will have to re-learn how to treat food normally, and not be afraid of products. You will have to overcome the terrible thought in your own head that one piece of cake eaten will immediately lead to body fat on problem areas etc.

In addition to therapeutic nutrition during the treatment of anorexia, it is imperative to give a person vitamin preparations and general strengthening agents. The most effective at the initial stages of therapy are the vitamins Carnitine and Cobalamide, which must be drunk for 4 weeks. In addition, you can use any multivitamin complexes over a long period of time (0.5 - 1 year). As restorative means it is recommended to use infusions or decoctions of mountain ash, calamus root, eleutherococcus or dandelion, plantain leaves, mint, lemon balm, etc.

Drugs in the treatment of anorexia nervosa are rarely used and only from the group of antidepressants to relieve painful sensations, alleviate the person's condition and prevent the recurrence of the disease. So, , failure of various organs, etc.) the following famous people:

• Debbie Barem - British writer (died at 26 from a heart attack caused by irreversible disorders in the heart muscle due to lack of nutrients);
• Christy Heinrich - American gymnast (died at 22 from multiple organ failure);
• Lena Zavaroni - Scottish singer of Italian origin (died at 36 from pneumonia);
• Karen Carpenter - American singer (died at 33 from cardiac arrest due to lack of nutrients);
• Luisel Ramos - Uruguayan fashion model (died at 22 from heart attack provoked by the depletion of the heart muscle due to the lack of nutrients);
• Eliana Ramos (sister Luisel) - Uruguayan fashion model (died at 18 from cardiac arrest caused by lack of nutrients);
• Ana Carolina Reston - Brazilian model (died at 22 from liver failure provoked by irreversible disorders in the structure of the liver, due to the lack of essential nutrients);
• Hila Elmaliah - Israeli model (died at 34 from numerous complications from the internal organs caused by anorexia);
• Mayara Galvao Vieira - Brazilian model (died at the age of 14 from cardiac arrest due to anorexia);
• Isabelle Caro - French fashion model (died at the age of 28 from multiple organ failure, provoked by anorexia);
• Jeremy Glitzer - male fashion model (died at 38 from multiple organ failure due to anorexia);
• Peaches Geldof - British model and journalist (died at age 25 in her home under unexplained circumstances).

In addition, the famous British singer Amy Winehouse suffered from anorexia nervosa, but she died at the age of 27 from a drug overdose.

Anorexia and bulimia

bulimia is a variant of an eating disorder, just the opposite of anorexia - it is a constant uncontrolled overeating. Unfortunately, many people suffering from anorexia also experience bouts of bulimia, which literally overtake them during fasting periods. Each episode of bulimia is accompanied by inducing vomiting, performing heavy physical exercises, taking laxatives, enemas and other actions aimed at removing the food that has entered the body so that it cannot be absorbed.

As a rule, the causes and approaches to the treatment of anorexia and bulimia are the same, since these diseases are two variants of different eating disorders. But the combination of anorexia with bulimia is more severe than with isolated variants of eating disorders. Therefore, the treatment of anorexia, combined with bulimia, is carried out according to the same principles as for isolated bulimia.

Books about anorexia

• Justine "This morning I decided to stop eating." The book is autobiographical, describing the life and suffering of a teenage girl who, determined to become fashionably thin, began to restrict herself in food, which eventually led to the development of anorexia.
• Anastasia Kovrigina "38 kg. Life in 0 calories mode". The book is written on the basis of the diary of a girl who constantly followed diets in pursuit of thinness. The work describes experiences, torments and all aspects related to the period of a person’s life, in which diets and calories were the main ones.
• Zabzalyuk Tatyana "Anorexia - to be caught and survive." The book is autobiographical, in which the author described the history of the emergence and development of anorexia, as well as the painful struggle with the disease and the final recovery. The author gives advice on how not to become anorexic and how to get out of this terrible state, if the disease has developed.

• Elena Romanova "Death diet. Stop anorexia". The book gives a detailed description of anorexia, provides various points view of the causes of the disease, etc. The description of various aspects of the disease is illustrated by the author with excerpts from the diary of a girl, Anna Nikolaenko, who suffers from anorexia.
• I.K. Kupriyanov "When losing weight is dangerous. Anorexia nervosa - a disease of the XXI century." The book tells about the mechanisms of development of anorexia, the manifestations of the disease, and also gives advice on how to help those suffering from this disease. The book will be useful to parents, as the author describes how to build a system of education that will give the child the right attitude to his appearance and food, and thus eliminates the risk of anorexia.
• Bob Palmer "Understanding eating disoders". A book in English for teenagers published in collaboration with the British Medical Association. The book describes the causes and consequences of anorexia, gives recommendations on proper nutrition and maintaining a normal body weight.
• Korkina M.V., Tsivilko M.A., Marilov V.V. "Anorexia Nervosa". The book is scientific, it contains research materials on the disease, provides diagnostic algorithms, approaches to treatment and features of anorexia in men.

• "Finding Yourself. Recovery Stories". The book contains various real stories recovery of people who suffered from anorexia or bulimia, told by themselves.

Anorexia in children

Anorexia- this is lack of appetite. It is expressed in a complete or partial refusal to eat, which may be the result of many health problems. Here we will look at the causes of lack of appetite, the treatment of anorexia with drugs and official medicine, general recommendations for treatment, how to treat and how to cure anorexia at home with folk remedies for home medicine.

The most common cause of anorexia is gastrointestinal disease. Also, the cause of lack of appetite can be many common diseases of the body: brain tumors, some endocrine diseases, hysteria, psychosis, chronic heart and lung diseases, kidney failure.

Often, lack of appetite can occur under pressure external stimuli, traumatic events, emotional experiences: fear, anger, resentment, expectation of something, the desire to correspond to a certain image of one's "ideal".

AT normal conditions an increase in appetite can be achieved by observing a strict diet, improving the quality of cooking, introducing bitterness and spices into the diet that improve taste.

Treatment of lack of appetite should be aimed at treating the underlying disease. If anorexia appeared on the basis of nervous shocks, psychotherapy and measures aimed at strengthening the patient's nervous system are needed. Consultations of a psychologist and possibly a psychiatrist or psychotherapist are necessary.

How to treat and how to cure anorexia at home

In the arsenal of traditional medicine there are many remedies that can help treat anorexia and improve appetite.

calamus marsh

A decoction of calamus rhizomes is used as bitterness to stimulate appetite in gastrointestinal diseases. Pour a teaspoon of chopped root with 2 cups of boiling water, boil for 15 minutes in a sealed container. Drink 2 cups three times a day 15 minutes before meals, slightly sweetened.

It has been clinically established that a decoction of calamus rhizomes increases the secretion of hydrochloric acid in the stomach and is especially useful for anacid gastritis. Calamus also has a tonic and gaseous effect. It works well for flatulence, improves digestion, and also has a choleretic and diuretic effect.

Calamus can also be taken as an infusion based on a ratio of 1:10.

black radish

In anorexia, as well as in some other gastrointestinal diseases, mustard is a good remedy, but provided that the treatment will be continuous for 20 or more days. Mustard must be harvested in the current year.

Dandelion officinalis

An infusion of dandelion roots is used as a means to improve digestion and stimulate appetite. Method of preparation: pour 2 teaspoons of crushed root into a glass cold water, let it brew for 8 hours. Drink ¼ cup before meals 4 times a day.

Wormwood

Fill a three-liter bottle with bitter wormwood exclusively from the May collection. Fill with vodka or diluted pharmaceutical alcohol. Insist 21 days in a dark cool place. Dose - 1 drop of tincture to 1 thimble of water. Drink in the morning on an empty stomach for 3 weeks. Wormwood in the same dosage helps well with anemia.

Horseradish table

Stimulates appetite, improves digestion. Horseradish enhances the secretion of the digestive glands, improves the breakdown of fats, and irritates the mucous membranes of the gastrointestinal tract.

It is also used as a diuretic for dropsy and edema.

Pour 400 ml of boiling water over a tablespoon of grated horseradish and let it brew for 1 hour. Mixture take 1 tablespoon 15 minutes before meals.

They also take freshly squeezed horseradish juice and gruel from freshly grated horseradish root.

Another recipe for horseradish root: 400 g of grated horseradish root mix well with 500 g of honey. Take 1 tablespoon 15 minutes before meals.

Cornflower blue

Stimulates appetite and acts as a mild diuretic.

When using cornflower in treatment, care should be taken, as it contains active compounds containing cyanides.

Pour two tablespoons of flowers with a glass of boiling water and insist for 30 minutes. After cooling, strain and drink throughout the day.

Orange

It is an appetite stimulant. The essential oils and bitter substances contained in the leaves and unripe fruits of the orange stimulate the excretion of digestive juice and improve digestion.

Steep 2–4 g of orange leaves and flowers with a glass of boiling water. Drink half a glass 3 times a day.

Hot infusion finely chopped unripe fruits, take 2-4 g to increase appetite.

Curly Wolf

Helps improve digestion, stimulates appetite. It has an antimicrobial effect on some types of dysentery bacillus. With anorexia ethnoscience advises to use an infusion prepared as follows: pour one teaspoon of the aerial part of the plant with a glass of boiling water, soak for 15 minutes and take it twice a day before meals.

Treatment of anorexia in official medicine

If the lack of appetite is caused by non-organic changes in various organs, then treatment should begin with 1-2 fasting days (hunger is a strong causative agent of the food center). This is followed by the appointment of bitters, small doses of insulin preparation (4-8 units twice a day one hour before meals), parenteral administration large doses vitamin C and B1.

In cases where it is not possible to establish a normal diet, they resort to artificial nutrition (through a gastric tube, with the help of nutrient enemas).

From bitterness, drugs are used:

1. wormwood (tincture, wormwood extract),
2. gentian (tincture, extract),
3. centaury (decoction, infusion).

Alcohol tinctures or extracts are taken 25-39 drops three times a day before meals.

Very popular with doctors tea appetizing(wormwood herb - 8 parts, yarrow herb - 2 parts). One teaspoon of the mixture is brewed like tea in two cups of boiling water. Take 1 tablespoon 2-3 times a day 30 minutes before meals.

Related videos

How to treat anorexia. Health School

Effective treatment for anorexia nervosa

Anorexia nervosa. Clinic, diagnosis and treatment of anorexia nervosa

Source

1. Related video.
2. Uzhegov G. N. People's medical book. Best Recipes folk medicine. – M.: Arnadiya, 1998. – 352 p. /Medicine for all.
3. Uzhegov G. N. Official and traditional medicine. The most detailed encyclopedia. – M.: Eksmo Publishing House, 2012.

Anorexia - mental illness resulting in a decrease in body weight. Most often, the disease occurs in adolescents, mainly in girls aged 10-14 years. Boys face the problem much less often. This pathology is sometimes found in adults - both in men and women.

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Often anorexia appears due to a lack of serotonin, its production decreases due to congenital pathologies. If treatment is ignored, as anorexia develops, immunity decreases in a person, and endocrine problems arise. In women, amenorrhea begins, that is, menstruation stops. Edema, problems with teeth and skin appear.

Symptoms of pathology

It is necessary to distinguish anorexia from simple thinness. The latter indicates the presence of diseases of the internal organs, optional digestive system. Anorexia nervosa is based on psychological causes.

Anorexics are characterized by symptoms such as distorted perception own body. This is most often seen in women who consider themselves "too fat". For such patients, the denial of their anorexia is characteristic.

Parents can detect the following signs of the disease in adolescents:

1. 1. Dieting without a specific goal. That is, a person simply cannot name it, he follows a diet without difficulty, without complaining about restrictions. often on early dates weight loss disease is not observed, because due to a hormonal surge, kilograms may be added or the figure may simply change. But if a girl refuses to eat at all, you need to see a doctor.
2. 2. Continuous sorting of products. Anorexic constantly counts calories, studies chemical composition ratio of fats and carbohydrates.
3. 3. Hyperactivity. Typically, people who follow strict diet avoid strenuous exercise. But anorexics, on the contrary, often play sports to the point of exhaustion. However, this is only possible at the first stage, because over time they simply do not have enough.
4. 4. masking the problem. Anorexics are great at hiding the fact that they have problems with food. They are looking for reasons not to sit down at the table (already had lunch in a cafe, will have dinner later, etc.). This is done in order not to disturb loved ones. For the same reason, anorexics often choose loose clothing to hide their thinness.

Treatment

Treatment of anorexia should be comprehensive. Therapy involves consultation with a psychologist and psychiatrist. You also need to find a good nutritionist - the doctor will help you make the right diet.

It is not always possible to be treated at home, sometimes you have to stay in the hospital for some time, but in this way you can get a stable result. It must be understood that the disease cannot be defeated quickly, if only because the anorexic often resists treatment.

Medical

At home, you can fight anorexia only with easy course diseases. In case of severe dystrophy, hospitalization is indicated.

Drug treatment at the first stage includes general strengthening therapy. On the one hand, it is aimed at correcting existing endocrine disorders. On the other hand, they are assigned psychotropic drugs that help to cope with the very cause of the disease.

General strengthening therapy involves the use of such means as:

• glucose;
• insulin;
• albumen;
• Panangin and other similar drugs;
• vitamin complexes.

Depending on the severity of the disease, they can be prescribed in different form, with severe dystrophy are shown intravenous injections and droppers.

All medicines are prescribed individually. So, antidepressants (Fluoxetine), various antipsychotics (Azaleptin) and nootropics(Vinpotropil). Sometimes tranquilizers like Phenazepam are used.

In no case should you prescribe such funds yourself. This is fraught with severe side effects. Psychopharmacotherapy is often combined with immunomodulators (Levomizol and Dekaris). Iron tablets should also be taken, as many anorexic patients become anemic.

With anorexia, diseases of the gastrointestinal tract often develop - mainly secondary gastritis and colitis. Therefore, such patients are often prescribed Cerucal and various enzyme preparations(Creon), antacid and enterosorbents, when it comes to gastritis with hyperacidity.

For removal pain syndrome antispasmodics are used, of which Duspalatin is the most effective. Since digestive disorders are observed, mild laxatives are used to get rid of constipation. Considering the general state of health, hepatoprotectors are prescribed - Unienzym and Phosphoglyph, which help support the liver.

Folk remedies

Cure anorexia, in addition to psychotherapy and medications, you can use some folk remedies. But with their help, it is really possible to eliminate only the symptoms that develop due to prolonged fasting but not the disease itself. Folk remedies may increase appetite.

1. 1. Take 1 tsp. crushed rhizome.
2. 2. Fall asleep in 400 ml of boiling water.
3. 3. Cook under a closed lid for 15 minutes.
4. 4. The broth is cooled to an acceptable temperature in 2 cups before each meal.

Calamus marsh stimulates secretion gastric juice. Therefore, if anorexia is accompanied by gastritis with high acidity, the decoction is contraindicated.

Orange helps stimulate appetite. But it is recommended for this to take leaves and not quite ripe fruits. For 1 tsp. crushed leaves and one fruit will need 500 ml of boiling water. The remedy is infused for an hour and drink 100 ml before each meal.

diet therapy

Nutrition for anorexia should be fractional - three main meals and two additional snacks. The patient after eating at first will experience discomfort, including heartburn and heaviness in the stomach. This is a natural reaction of the body. In the future, as the digestion processes normalize, it will disappear.

First, the patient should eat under supervision. It is required that she eat the entire portion completely. Eat only at certain hours.

The peculiarity of the diet is that you need to eat foods from all major food groups, carefully controlling their vitamin and mineral composition:

1. 1. Start with small portions and a daily calorie content of 1800-1900 kcal in the first week of treatment.
2. 2. Then the calorie content gradually increases. All this - individual indicators, sometimes you have to start with 200 kcal per day.

There are patients who are afraid to eat, do not want to give up their hunger strike, because they believe that they will lose control of their weight. Therefore, it is imperative to discuss with the patient both the composition of the diet and the calorie content of the menu.

The ration is based on therapeutic diet No. 11 according to M. Pevzner. All dishes that contain substances that increase the secretion of gastric juice are removed from it:

• spices;
• vegetables containing essential oils in large numbers- radishes, onions, garlic, etc.;
• dairy products, including cheeses and cottage cheese.

• lean meats;
• steam omelets;
• vegetarian soups;
• smoothies and kissels.

Recipes

With a disease, you can use the popular recipes of some dishes.

Steam omelet

Ingredients:

• eggs - 3 pcs.;
• half a glass of whole milk or light chicken broth;
• a pinch of salt;
• tomato - 1 pc.;
• a little butter;
• dill.

Cooking:

1. 1. Cut the tomato into cubes, beat the eggs with salt and milk (or broth), add tomato slices and stir.
2. 2. Grease the mold with butter.
3. 3. Prepare an omelette in a double boiler, add a little dill before serving.

Smoothies

Ingredients:

• cereal - 3 tbsp. l.;
• hot milk - 100 ml;
• oatmeal - 200 g;
• honey - 1 tsp;
• a pinch of cinnamon;
• banana - 1 pc.

Cooking:

1. 1. The flakes are left for 5 minutes in a container of hot milk.
2. 2. Cut the peeled banana into pieces at this time.
3. 3. Beat it together with swollen oatmeal in a blender until a homogeneous mass is obtained.
4. 4. Add some honey and whole milk (yogurt is contraindicated in the first weeks).
5. 5. The composition is whipped again.
6. 6. Sprinkle the finished drink with cinnamon.

And some secrets...

The story of one of our readers, Inga Eremina:

My weight was especially depressing for me, at 41 I weighed like 3 sumo wrestlers combined, namely 92kg. How to lose weight completely? How to deal with hormonal changes and obesity? But nothing disfigures or rejuvenates a person as much as his figure.

But what can you do to lose weight? Operation laser liposuction? Learned - not less than 5 thousand dollars. Hardware procedures - LPG massage, cavitation, RF lifting, myostimulation? A little more affordable - the course costs from 80 thousand rubles with a consultant nutritionist. You can of course try to run on a treadmill, to the point of insanity.

Anorexia in men has its own characteristics:

• Anorexia in men is often associated with various mental disorders - schizophrenia, neuroses.
• Men do not talk about their desire to lose weight. They are more secretive, unlike women who are constantly discussing ways to lose weight.
• Men are more purposeful, they firmly adhere to the word given to themselves to refuse certain products. They are less likely to have food breakdowns.
• A large percentage of sick men refuse food for ideological reasons. They are supporters of cleansing the body, raw food, veganism, sun-eating or other nutrition systems.
• Anorexia affects not only young men who strive to meet the standards of beauty, but also men over 40, who are fond of cleansing the body and various spiritual practices. You can often hear phrases from them that “food is a hindrance to spiritual development”, “refusal of food prolongs life and purifies the spirit”.
• Asthenic and schizoid features predominate in the character of patients, in contrast to women, who are characterized by hysterical features.
• Crazy ideas about imaginary fullness sometimes serve as a distraction for a man. At the same time, he tends to ignore the real physical handicaps, sometimes disfiguring his appearance.

Factors that provoke anorexia in men

• Growing up in an incomplete family in an atmosphere of excessive guardianship from the mother's side. The boy is afraid that with weight gain he will grow up and lose the love of his relatives. By staying thin, he tries to avoid the responsibilities and hardships of adulthood. Such men continue to live with their parents and in adulthood.
• Critical statements from others regarding excess weight. This can cause psychological trauma.
• Participation in certain sports requiring tight control over body weight - sports dancing, ballet, running, jumping, figure skating.
• Professions related to show business- Singers, actors, fashion models. People engaged in these professions sometimes pay excessive attention to their appearance, which causes thoughts about their own imperfection and excess weight.
• Self-punishment. Boys and men wear themselves out by reducing their feelings of guilt for unrevealed aggression towards their father or forbidden sexual desire.
• Schizophrenia in one of the parents, the tendency to which is inherited. The risk of anorexia nervosa is high in young men whose parents suffered from anorexia, phobia, anxiety depression, psychosis.
• Homosexuality. In specialized publications, a cult of lean male bodies is created, which encourages young men to refuse food.

• Painful attention to one's appearance.
• Tendency to eat normally once and then starve for weeks.
• Tendency to hide food. To reassure relatives that the patient is "eating normally", he may hide or throw away his portion of food.
• Decreased sexual interest and potency, which is analogous to female amenorrhea (absence of menstruation).
• Ways to lose weight are traditional - refusal to eat, excessive exercise and vomiting, enemas, colon therapy. However, painful attachment to vomiting is less common than in women.
• Unmotivated aggression. Rude attitude towards close people, especially to parents.
• Refusal to be photographed. Patients argue it by the fact that in the photographs their "completeness" is more noticeable.
• Hypochondria. A man is overly worried about his health, he suspects that he has serious illnesses. Natural Feelings(especially the feeling of fullness in the stomach) seem painful to him.
• Changes in appearance appear after a few months - weight loss (up to 50% of body weight), dry skin, hair loss.
• The tendency to alcoholism is an attempt to cope with emotions and drown out thoughts about food and weight loss.

Men with anorexia do not perceive their condition as a problem. They justify fasting in every possible way by cleansing the body and striving for enlightenment. Per medical care more often their relatives apply. If this does not happen in time, then the man ends up in the hospital with cachexia (extreme exhaustion) or in a psychiatric hospital with an exacerbation of mental illness.

Treatment of anorexia in men includes psychotherapy, drug treatment and reflexology. Together, these measures lead to recovery of more than 80% of patients.

1. Psychotherapy is an essential part of the treatment. It allows you to correct the thinking of the patient and helps to eliminate the psychological trauma that led to the eating disorder. With anorexia in men have proven their effectiveness:

• psychoanalysis;
• behavioral therapy;
• family psychotherapy with relatives of the patient.

• Antipsychotics Clozapine, Olanzapine are used for the first 6 months of treatment. They promote weight gain and reduce delusions about fullness. The dose of the drug is determined individually. After reaching therapeutic effect it is gradually reduced. If an exacerbation occurs, then the dose is increased to the initial one.
• Atypical antipsychotics Risperidone, Risset eliminate the negative manifestations of the disease, but do not reduce performance, do not interfere with work and study. Take drugs constantly or only when symptoms of the disease occur. Treatment with atypical drugs can last from 6 months to one and a half years.
• Vitamin preparations . B vitamins normalize the functioning of the nervous system, helping to eradicate the root cause of the disease. Vitamins A and E improve the production of hormones, contribute to the restoration of the skin and its appendages, as well as the mucous membranes of internal organs.

4. Trainings on the organization of a healthy diet. Special training programs will help the patient to create a menu in such a way that everything enters the body. nutrients and there was no discomfort.

5. Intravenous nutrition or the introduction of food through a tube. These methods are applied at an extreme degree of exhaustion in patients who categorically refuse food.

Anorexia in a child, what to do?

Causes of anorexia in a child

• Parents feed the child, forcing them to eat too much large portions. The result is an aversion to food.
• Monotonous nutrition, which forms a negative attitude towards food.
• Past severe infectious diseases - diphtheria, hepatitis, tuberculosis.
• Psycho-emotional stress - sudden acclimatization, death loved one, parents divorce.
• The abundance of harmful and sweet foods in the diet disrupts digestion and metabolism.
• Excessive guardianship and control by parents. It often occurs in single-parent families where a child is brought up without a father by his mother and grandmother.
• Dissatisfaction with their appearance, which is often based on criticism from parents and ridicule from peers.
• Hereditary predisposition to mental illness.

• Eating disorders - refusal to eat or a certain set of foods (potatoes, cereals, meat, sweets).
• Physical signs - weight loss, dry skin, sunken eyes, bruising under the eyes.
• Behavioral changes - sleep disturbances, irritability, frequent tantrums, poor academic performance.

• Make eating an enjoyable experience. Create comfort in the kitchen. While the child is eating, take a few minutes to sit next to him, ask how the day went, what was the most pleasant event today.
• Start eating healthy as a family. For example, instead of pies, cook baked apples with cottage cheese, instead of frying potatoes or fish, bake them in foil. Focus not on the fact that this is losing weight, but that proper nutrition is the basis of beauty, health and vigor. Slimness is just a pleasant consequence of a healthy lifestyle.
• Observe family rituals related to food. Bake the meat grandma's recipe, marinate the fish, as is customary in your family. Share these secrets with your child. Rituals make the child aware of being part of the group and give a sense of security.
• Go shopping together. Make a rule: everyone buys a new, preferably "healthy" product. It could be yogurt exotic fruit, a new kind of cheese. Then at home you can try it and decide whose choice is better. Thus, you instill in the child the idea that healthy food brings pleasure.
• Don't insist on yours. Give your child a choice, strive for a compromise. This applies to all aspects of life. A child who is overly controlled in everything takes control of what is left for him - his food. Avoid categorical requirements. If you think it's cold outside, then don't yell for your daughter to put on a hat, but offer the child an acceptable choice: headband, hat, or hood. The same applies to food. Ask what the child will be, offering a choice of 2-3 acceptable dishes. If the daughter flatly refuses dinner, reschedule lunch for a later time.
• Involve your child in the cooking process. Watch cooking shows together, choose recipes on the Internet that you would like to try. There are a huge number of delicious and healthy low-calorie meals that do not increase the risk of getting better.
• Encourage dancing and sports. Regular physical training increase appetite and contribute to the production of endorphins - "happiness hormones". It is desirable that the child engages in for his own pleasure, as professional activities aimed at winning competitions can provoke the desire for weight loss and cause anorexia and bulimia.
• Consult a beautician or fitness trainer if the child is dissatisfied with their appearance and weight. Children often ignore the advice of their parents, but listen to the opinions of unfamiliar experts. Such specialists will help to create a program proper nutrition, which improves skin condition and prevents weight gain.
• Listen carefully to the child. Avoid categorical judgments and do not deny problems: “Don't talk nonsense. At your place normal weight". Argument your arguments. Calculate the formula together ideal weight, find the minimum and maximum values ​​for that age. Promise to help in the fight for the ideals of beauty and stick to your word. Better cook baby diet soup than a rebellious daughter fundamentally skips a meal consisting of a high-calorie roast.
• Find areas where your child can fulfill himself. He should feel successful, useful and irreplaceable. To generate interest in various types activities, attend various events with your child: exhibitions, competitions of dance groups and sports. Encourage him to try his hand at a wide variety of sections and circles. Genuinely praise every small accomplishment. Then the idea will take root in a teenager that success and positive emotions can be associated not only with physical attractiveness. And new friends and vivid impressions distract from thoughts about the imperfection of your body.
• Help your child to get complete and versatile information. If your child wants to stick to a diet, then find detailed instructions on this topic. Be sure to read the contraindications together, read about the dangers and consequences of this diet. For example, it has been proven that supporters of protein diets are at risk of getting cancer. The more your child knows, the better he will be protected. So, from a misunderstanding of the danger of the problem, many girls are persistently looking for advice on the Internet “how to get anorexia?”. In their view, this is not a serious mental illness, but easy way to beauty.

How to avoid relapse of anorexia?

How to avoid relapse of anorexia?

Scientists agree that anorexia is a chronic disease characterized by periods of calm and relapses. This food addiction compared with diabetes: a person must constantly monitor his condition, follow preventive measures, and when the first signs of the disease appear, start drug treatment. Only in this way is it possible to stop the return of anorexia in time and prevent a relapse.

Anorexia is a serious, life-threatening illness in which a person can starve themselves to death due to psychological, cultural and physical causes. At this disease higher mortality rate than all other causes of death for women aged 15 to 24. In addition, although the majority of people suffering from anorexia are women, 10-15% of patients are men. In order to cope with this disease, strength, courage and endurance are needed, but with right attitude and support, you will be on your way to recovery very soon.

Steps

How to help yourself deal with anorexia

Write down your feelings. Keep a recovery diary - write down your feelings in it, this will help you maintain awareness of your condition. A diary will help you keep track of how you feel throughout the day, especially when you have trouble eating.

• You can use the “unboxing” technique to delve deeper into your feelings. For example, if one day you wrote in your diary that you felt “fine,” ask yourself what you might mean by “fine.” This will help you explore your feelings more deeply.

1. Talk to your doctor. Anorexia can lead to serious complications with health, for example, to anemia, loss bone tissue, diseases gastrointestinal tract, heart problems and even death. If you think you have anorexia, you should definitely consult your doctor to get the treatment you need to get better. Talk to your doctor about anorexia if you have any of the following symptoms:

   • Significant weight loss as a result of not eating
   • Fear of being fat, even if many people think you are too thin
   • Overindulgence in diet and exercise
   • Anxiety, mood swings, or hyperactivity
   • Sleep problems
   • Suppressed sexual desire
   • In women, irregular or absent periods
   • In men - excessive passion for strength training

2. Set achievable goals. Unrealistic goals will only create problems, as you will find it difficult to achieve them and you will want to give up early. It's best to aim low first and then aim higher when you reach the first milestones. If your goals are realistic, you will be able to balance them with other aspects of your life. it great way assess whether your goals are achievable. If your goal requires so much effort and time from you that you do not have time for leisure or any other obligations, then it is worth reconsidering.

   Avoid triggers. A trigger, or provoking factor, is something that upsets you and stimulates the activation of an eating disorder. If you identify your triggers, you can gain control over the situations and people that trigger your anorexia habits. Once you know who and what puts you under such stress, you can create a plan to deal with these factors in advance. Your triggers can be:

   • Tension in the family
   • Stressful situations at work
   • Images or events that awaken your complexes about the body
   • Certain Foods You Have a Hard Time Thinking About

3. Learn more about intuitive eating. Intuitive Eating is a nutritional system developed by nutritionist Evelyn Tribol and nutritionist Alice Resch. This system will help you learn to listen to your body's signals, such as when it tells you that you are hungry or full. It will also help you develop alternative coping mechanisms so you can comfort yourself without resorting to food. In addition, intuitive eating can help you:

   • Start seeing food as an enjoyable activity
   • Respect your body or your “genetic program”
   • Get rid of the food restriction mentality

4. Accept that bodies are different. There are a huge number of diverse and beautiful body types in the world. If you find it difficult to accept your body, look at all the vibrant body types that exist in the world to see how special and unique each one is. This diversity can be seen, for example, by visiting an art museum and appreciating classical paintings, when people valued physical data different from those that are valued now.

5. Use positive affirmations if you feel anorexia coming on. When you are stressed and want to turn to anorexic behavior to deal with the stress, use a mantra or positive affirmation to redirect your feelings. Be your own personal trainer.

   • For example, you might say to yourself, “I can feel bad, but still choose a new and healthy direction.”
   • You can also tell yourself the following: “This situation is difficult and uncomfortable, but this is only a temporary phenomenon.”

6. Ask your doctor about medications. Psychiatric treatment can help manage the symptoms of anorexia on a daily basis. Antidepressants can help keep you in a good mood and prevent depression due to eating disorder. Sedative drugs help to get rid of excessive anxiety and compulsive behavior. These medications can be especially helpful if you have both anxiety and depression at the same time, which is very common in people with eating disorders.

   Help from family and friends

   1. Ask for help. This is an important step on the road to recovery. Find in your environment positive person who you can trust and rely on. Seeking help for an eating disorder can be scary or embarrassing, but getting the support of a close friend, family member, religious counselor, school counselor, or work colleague is the first step to recovery for many people. Research shows that a sense of social connectedness is the most important factor in the process of recovery.

      • For example, if your nutritionist helped you create a meal plan, ask a friend or family member to help you stick to your plan.