Eating disorders are usually difficult to detect. Patients will mostly lie or conceal their eating habits to avoid confronting others about their Anorexia condition. This particular eating disorder could be easily confused with dieting or fasting since people voluntarily deprive themselves of eating certain items or from eating altogether in order to lose weight or stay healthy. However, anorexia patients will constantly refuse to eat even when they feel hungry. The condition gets worse over time and can cause a lot of serious side effects.
Paying Attention to the Symptoms:
Teenagers and young adults are more subject to anorexia due to the social and peer pressure. Some of them will have a distorted body image influenced by the pressure from social media. With all the celebrities’ photos on Instagram and Snapchat, the definition of sexy is currently far away from healthy.
Anorexia (https://quitmyeatingdisorder.com/how-to-become-anorexic/) patients might not show all the warning signs at once. However, if you live with or know someone who suffers from most of these symptoms, then you might want to encourage them to have a blood count. This might be the right time to seek medical help to save their lives.
- The extreme weight loss that is not related to a diet or an illness is a major warning sign. People will lose weight due to stress, illness or certain health conditions like diabetes. But if the condition persists then this might be a serious sign that this patient is suffering from anorexia.
- A thin and fit figure might be socially desirable. But an extremely thin figure is very unhealthy and can lead to a lot of health issues. Losing the body fats that surround the internal organs can lead to abnormal blood counts, elevated liver enzymes and even organs failure in the long run.
- Dizziness, fatigue, and fainting are very common among anorexia patients. They will be unable to engage in events that require a lot of activity and movement because they will always be tired and worn out. They might lose conscious often because their bodies are deprived of the important nutrients.
- Anorexia patients often have dull and dry skin. They have brittle nails that usually break as they engage in normal daily activities. They are most likely going to experience abnormal hair fall or have very thin and brittle unhealthy looking hair.
- Low fat intake deprives the body of the energy that keeps it warm. Anorexia patients usually put on a lot of clothes to conceal their extremely thin figure but will also feel too cold even in warm weather.
- Constipation and irregular bowel movements are common among anorexia patients. They are also going to experience dehydration because they are not eating regularly.
If you know someone who is suffering from some or all of these symptoms then it is time to take things into your own hands. Talk to them and convince them to seek professional help. They might resist seeking medical help and will most likely need psychological intervention. Eating disorders are difficult to detect but are absolutely treatable. All you need is to act fast; you might be saving a precious life.
