Ana - Who is she? (and her sisters)
The usual person look at it like this-
Anorexia nervosa: the relentless pursuit of thinness
- Person refuses to maintain normal body weight for age and height.
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- Weighs 85% or less than what is developmentally expected for age and height.
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- Young girls do not begin to menstruate at the appropriate age. Puberty is delayed in both sexes.
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- In women, menstrual periods stop. In men, levels of sex hormones fall. Sex drive disappears or is much diminished.
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- Person denies the dangers of low weight.
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- Is terrified of becoming fat.
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- Is terrified of gaining weight even though s/he is alarmingly underweight.
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- Reports feeling fat even when emaciated.
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- In addition, anorexia nervosa often includes depression, irritability, withdrawal, and peculiar behaviors such as compulsive rituals, strange eating habits, and division of foods into "good/safe" and "bad/dangerous" categories. Person may have low tolerance for change and new situations; may fear growing up and assuming adult responsibilities and an adult lifestyle. May be overly engaged with or dependent on parents or family. Dieting may represent avoidance of, or attempts to cope with, the demands of a new life stage such as adolescence.
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Bulimia nervosa: the diet-binge-purge disorder
- Person diets, becomes hungry, and then binge eats in response to powerful cravings and feelings of deprivation.
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- Feels out of control while eating.
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- Fears gaining weight and frantically tries to "undo" the binge. Vomits, misuses laxatives, exercises, or fasts to get rid of the calories.
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- Swears to "be good," to never binge eat again, but then continues to restrict food intake which starts yet another repeat of the deprivation-hunger-binge-purge cycle.
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- Believes self-worth requires being thin. (It does not.)
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- May shoplift, be promiscuous, and abuse alcohol, drugs and credit cards. May engage in risk-taking behavior and have other problems with impulse control. Person acts with little thought of consequences.
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- Weight may be normal or near normal unless anorexia is also present.
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- Like anorexia, bulimia can kill. Even though bulimics put up a brave front, they are often depressed, lonely, ashamed, and empty inside. Friends may describe them as competent, glamorous, adventurous and fun to be with, but underneath, where they hide their guilty secrets, they are hurting. Feeling unworthy, they have great difficulty talking about their feelings, which almost always include anxiety, depression, self-doubt, and deeply buried anger.
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Binge eating disorder
- The person binge consumes large amounts of food frequently and repeatedly.
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- Feels out of control and unable to stop eating during binges.
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- May eat rapidly and secretly, or may snack and nibble all day long.
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- Feels guilty and ashamed of binge eating.
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- Has a history of diet failures
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- Tends to be depressed and obese.
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- People who have binge eating disorder do not regularly vomit, overexercise, or abuse laxatives like bulimics do. They may be genetically predisposed to weigh more than the cultural ideal (which at present is exceedingly unrealistic), so they diet, make themselves hungry, and then binge in response to that hunger.
Or they may eat for emotional reasons: to comfort themselves, avoid threatening situations, and numb emotional pain. Regardless of the reason, diet programs are not the answer. In fact, diets almost always make matters worse. Information reported in the March 2003 New England Journal of Medicine suggests that for some people, but not all, a genetic flaw in combination with lifestyle factors can predispose to binge eating and subsequent obesity. |
ED-NOS: Eating disorders not otherwise specified
- An official diagnosis. The phrase describes atypical eating disorders.
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- Including situations in which a person meets all but a few of the criteria for a particular diagnosis.
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- What the person is doing with regard to food and weight is neither normal nor healthy.
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symptoms of anorexia
Obsessive thoughts about weight and body shape, caloric intake. Purging behaviors; self-induced vomiting, laxative or diuretic abuse, or over-exercising. Feelings of extreme guilt and/or shame These feelings surround eating and body weight/shape despite actual weight or amount of food consumed. Constant weighing and measuring; ritualistic (or compulsive) behaviors such as weighing oneself daily at the same time, measuring each part of the body. Feeling "fat" and seeing "fat" even if this does not exist. Anorectics will "see" fat or feel as if they are fat due to distorted body image. Loss of monthly periods; as the body enters into "starvation mode" and there is a drop in weight of 12% or more, cessation of monthly menstruation cycles can occur. Skipping meals even when hungry, restricting despite extreme hunger. Anorectics will deny themselves food, believing that it will "make them fat". Growth of a fine downy hair on face, arms and trunk. In an attempt to keep itself warm, the body will begin to grow hair similar to peach fuzz on certain areas of the skin. Severe intolerance to cold temperatures. With a loss of body fat to keep warm and protected from cold temperatures, anorectic individuals will often feel very cold when others in the same room are comfortable. Fatigue accompanied by dizziness, disorientation, inability to concentrate As the brain goes into starvation mode with the body, both the lack of nutrition and preoccupation with weight and food can interfere with concentration. Dizziness and disorientation can occur at any time, and can be worsened by excessive exercise and purging behaviors. Heart irregularities caused by malnutrition and electrolyte imbalances can also contribute to these symptoms. Muscle cramping; a common symptom of potassium loss (potassium is an electrolyte that helps to maintain proper heart and organ functions in the body) muscles can begin to spasm or cramp, which is quite painful and needs to be medically evaluated. Isolation; as anorexia progresses, the sufferer may tend to isolate themselves from friends, family, and activities that constitute eating (i.e. going to dinner) or exposing the body (i.e. swimming). Secretive behavior related to eating. It is not uncommon for anorectics to hide food, eat in seclusion from others, or discretely discard food when faced with a situation where they must eat in front of others. Pushing food around one's plate to make it appear as if they are eating. This is only one of the tricks that are employed by anorectics desperate to not have to eat. In pushing food around their plate, it may appear to others, as well as themselves, that they are eating more than they have actually eaten Cardiac abnormalities; irregular heartbeat is a common problem associated with anorexia nervosa. This is caused by electrolyte imbalances and dehydration. Complications can lead to death. Reproductive impairment; prolonged abuse of the body and lack of monthly periods can cause reproductive damage and complications. Some individuals may not be able to conceive children, as well as a host of other problems. Electrolyte imbalance; generally caused by lack of fluid intake and/or purging behaviors such as vomiting and laxative or diuretic abuse, electrolyte imbalances can potentially be fatal. Symptoms include dizziness, fatigue, muscle cramping, irregular heartbeat, light-headedness, possibly chest pain. Complications can lead to death. Headache, stomach ache; these very common problems are associated with lack of nutrition and other complications of this eating disorder. This is especially present with abuse of laxatives and forced vomiting. I look at it like this-
ana is my friend, and my enemy. she's evil, she's pure, she's kinde and she's cold.
She helps me and loves me, she tricks me and hate me, she gave me my life back and took cair of me when no one else was there. she took my life away and left me to the bitter cold nights of binging and vomits, of lonelyness and darkness when no one is there to se.
she is simply my everything. and I will do my best to make her proud. she is love and hate, warm and cold. night and day, and she will help me get my pounds away...
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