Anorexia Nervosa

Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder of complex and life-threatening proportions. It is an illness of starvation that is brought on by a severe disturbance of body image and a morbid fear of obesity. The key feature of anorexia nervosa is self imposed starvation resulting from a distorted body image and an intense and irrational fear of gaining weight, even when obviously emaciated. An anorexic patient is preoccupied with her body size, describes herself as fat and commonly expresses dissatisfaction with a particular aspect of her physical appearance.

Anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa can occur simultaneously. In anorexia nervosa, the refusal to eat may be accompanied by compulsive exercising, self-induced vomiting, or abuse of laxatives or diuretics. Anorexia nervosa usually occurs in females. It occurs primarily in adolescents and young adults but may also affect older females and, occasionally, males. The prognosis varies but improves if the patient is diagnosed early or if she wants to overcome the disorder and seeks help voluntarily. The highest mortality is associated with a psychiatric disturbance. One-third of these deaths can be attributed to suicide. And only half of people with anorexia nervosa recover completely.

Causes For Anorexia Nervosa

No one knows exactly what causes anorexia nervosa. But are probably combinations of biologic, psychological, and social factors. Abnormalities in central neurotransmitter activity are suggested by an alteration in serotonin metabolism. Psychological factors are the most frequently offered explanations. Researchers in neuroendocrinology are seeking a physiologic cause but have found nothing definite. Clearly, social attitudes that equate slimness with beauty play some role in provoking this disorder, family factors also are implicated. Most theorists believe that refusing to eat is a subconscious effort to exert personal control over life or to protect oneself from dealing with issues surrounding sexuality. Anorexia nervosa is generally associated with an enmeshed family system where there are high performance expectations, rigid rules, and disturbed communication patterns. Another theory posits that anorexia nervosa occurs at the time of puberty as a person’s way of avoiding adult responsibility and body image.

Nursing Care Plans for Anorexia Nervosa