By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    improving patient experience
    6 Ways to Improve Patient Satisfaction Within Hospitals
    December 1, 2021
    degree for healthcare job
    What Are The Health Benefits Of Having A Degree?
    March 9, 2022
    custom software development is changing healthcare
    Digital Customer Journey Mapping and its Importance for Healthcare
    July 21, 2022
    Latest News
    Grounded Healing: A Natural Ally for Sustainable Healthcare Systems
    May 16, 2025
    Learn how to Renew your Medical Card in West Virginia
    May 16, 2025
    Choosing the Right Supplement Manufacturer for Your Brand
    May 1, 2025
    Engineering Temporary Hospitals for Extreme Weather
    April 24, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    Can Thinking Younger Make You Live Longer?
    April 20, 2011
    Image
    Obesity’s Outlook Unchanged
    June 13, 2011
    When It’s An Emergency Elderly Not Treated As Well in Hospitals
    July 16, 2011
    Latest News
    Building Smarter Care Teams: Aligning Roles, Structure, and Clinical Expertise
    May 18, 2025
    The Critical Role of Healthcare in Personal Injury Recovery: A Comprehensive Guide for Victims
    May 14, 2025
    The Backbone of Successful Trials: Clinical Data Management
    April 28, 2025
    Advancing Your Healthcare Career through Education and Specialization
    April 16, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Everything You Need to Know About Anorexia
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Wellness > Home Health > Everything You Need to Know About Anorexia
Home HealthObesityWellness

Everything You Need to Know About Anorexia

Diana Hope
Last updated: February 19, 2020 3:38 pm
Diana Hope
Share
5 Min Read
Anorexia
Shutterstock Licensed Photo - By Tatyana Dzemileva
SHARE

  Anorexia nervosa is an unhealthy disruption in an individual’s eating habits, usually characterized by weight loss, failure to gain weight among minors, or difficulties in maintaining healthy body weight. Anorexia mostly results from applying restrictions in dieting. These restrictions may include adjusting-down calorie intake and avoidance in eating certain types of foods. Anorexia is mostly identified during adolescence, though an increasing number of cases are being witnessed in children and older adults as well. Binge-eating, skipping meals, over-exercising, and purging are synonymous with anorexia as a result of an unhealthy relationship with food and body image.

Contents
Biases and MisconceptionsDiagnosisConsequences

Biases and Misconceptions

A common anorexia misconception is that it only affects white, middle-class females. The truth is, anorexia affects people from all backgrounds. Some of the factors used to establish bias in people affected by anorexia are; age, race, gender identities, sexual orientation, social classes, and physical appearance. Affected persons do not have to be emaciated or underweight – a bias that prevents early detection and diagnosis for people with larger builds and bodies. Another major bias concerning anorexic individuals is that of their gender identities. Despite the assumption that anorexia only affects girls, studies have found that 25% of people affected by eating disorders are actually males who mostly suffer in silence as a result of late diagnosis. Misinformation surrounding anorexia statistics regarding LGBTQ+ also presents a challenge in addressing the problem. Body image issues are a sensitive subject in the LGBTQ+ community, leaving many within these groups with a high likelihood of falling victim to anorexia. For instance, gay men, who only make up a small percentage of the total population, account for 42% of men affected by eating disorders.

Diagnosis

There is no specific test to diagnose anorexia, detection, and early diagnosis are mostly done using elimination tests that rule out physical illnesses. The diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM-5), a manual compiled by professional experts through decades-worth of research, contains guidelines for diagnosing eating disorders like anorexia. The DSM-5 criteria on diagnosing an individual with anorexia consider;

  • The individual’s restrictions on food and energy intake, resulting in weight loss or failure to gain weight, subject to the individual’s age, sex, physical health, and development trajectory
  • An individual’s extreme fear of gaining weight or becoming fat
  • An individual’s self-evaluation, resulting in a distorted view of their body image and weight

A person must meet all of the above conditions for a definite diagnosis of anorexia nervosa. The DSM-5 is a revision of a previous manual, the DSM-IV (published 1994). Changes in the new edition include the low-weight criterion that only accounted for individuals considered to have low weight and excluded people considered to be objectively of normal weight or larger builds. The other change was removing amenorrhea (loss of menstrual period) as a criterion, which eliminates men, transgender persons, and the potion of women who continue to menstruate despite undergoing extreme weight loss or malnutrition. Using the DMS-5, some of the warning signs and symptoms of anorexia include; dramatic weight loss, obsession with food, weight, and dieting, avoidance of food entirely, making comments about feeling “fat” and adopting unusual food habits or rituals like excessive chewing and being picky with food.

More Read

Take These 4 Important Steps For Healthy And Happy Aging
What Personal Trainers Can & Can’t Say When it Comes to Nutrition
How Food Choices Affect you from the Inside
Important Guidelines To Stay Healthy Working From Home
USPSTF Recommends Annual Lung Screening for High-Risk Adults

Consequences

Anorexia results in changes in the physical and psychological well-being of an individual. People suffering from anorexia are at a higher risk of facing certain health complications as a result of the body shutting-down specific processes from continual denial of essential nutrients required for normal functions. Early detection plays a vital role in diagnosing and managing individuals suffering from anorexia. A sense of connectedness in some communities has been linked to fewer eating disorder cases. This is attributed to the communities having a protective effect on individuals who would otherwise be affected by such conditions.

Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

Clinical Expertise
Building Smarter Care Teams: Aligning Roles, Structure, and Clinical Expertise
Health care
May 18, 2025
Grounded Healing: A Natural Ally for Sustainable Healthcare Systems
Grounded Healing: A Natural Ally for Sustainable Healthcare Systems
Health
May 15, 2025
Learn how to Renew your Medical Card in West Virginia
Learn how to Renew your Medical Card in West Virginia
Health
May 15, 2025
Dr. Klaus Rentrop Shares Acute Myocardial Infarction heart treatment
Dr. Klaus Rentrop Shares Acute Myocardial Infarction
Cardiology
May 13, 2025

You Might also Like

DiagnosticsWellness

Wake Up: It’s National Sleep Awareness Week

March 5, 2013
Image
eHealthMobile HealthWellness

The Dawn of the Worried Well

June 10, 2013
DiagnosticsHome HealthSkin

What To Know About Melanoma Prevention Year-Round

September 20, 2019
patient engagement
Home HealthNews

National Summit on Advanced Care: Thoughts and Takeaways

February 3, 2013
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?