Answer -- Anorexia nervosa
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Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by attempts to lose weight, to the point of starvation A person with anorexia nervosa may exhibit a number of signs and symptoms, the type and severity of which may vary and may be present but not readily apparent.
Anorexia nervosa, and the associated malnutrition that results from self-imposed starvation, can cause complications in every major organ system in the body. Hypokalaemia, a drop in the level of potassium in the blood, is a sign of anorexia nervosa. A significant drop in potassium can cause abnormal heart rhythms, constipation, fatigue, muscle damage and paralysis.
Symptoms may include:
· A low body mass index for one's age and height.
· Amenorrhea, a symptom that occurs after prolonged weight loss; causes menses to stop, hair becomes brittle, and skin becomes yellow and unhealthy.
· Fear of even the slightest weight gain; taking all precautionary measures to avoid weight gain or becoming "overweight".[
· Rapid, continuous weight loss.
· Lanugo: soft, fine hair growing over the face and body.
· An obsession with counting calories and monitoring fat contents of food.
· Preoccupation with food, recipes, or cooking; may cook elaborate dinners for others, but not eat the food themselves or consume a very small portion.
· Food restrictions despite being underweight or at a healthy weight.
· Food rituals, such as cutting food into tiny pieces, refusing to eat around others and hiding or discarding of food.
· Purging: May use laxatives, diet pills, ipecac syrup, or water pills to flush food out of their system after eating or may engage in self-induced vomiting though this is a more common symptom of bulimia.
· Excessive exerciseincluding micro-exercising, for example making small persistent movements of fingers or toes.
· Perception of self as overweight, in contradiction to an underweight reality.
· Intolerance to cold and frequent complaints of being cold; body temperature may lower (hypothermia) in an effort to conserve energy due to malnutrition.
· Hypotension or orthostatic hypotension.
· Bradycardia or tachycardia.
· Depression, anxiety disorders and insomnia.
· Solitude: may avoid friends and family and become more withdrawn and secretive.
· Abdominal distension.
· Halitosis (from vomiting or starvation-induced ketosis).
· Dry hair and skin, as well as hair thinning.
· Chronic fatigue.
· Rapid mood swings.
· Having feet discoloration causing an orange appearance.
· Having severe muscle tension + aches and pains.
· Evidence/habits of self harming or self-loathing.
· Admiration of thinner people.
Associated problems
Other psychological issues may factor into anorexia nervosa; some fulfill the criteria for a separate Axis I diagnosis or a personality disorder which is coded Axis II and thus are considered comorbid to the diagnosed eating disorder. Some people have a previous disorder which may increase their vulnerability to developing an eating disorder and some develop them afterwards.The presence of Axis I or Axis IIpsychiatric comorbidity has been shown to affect the severity and type of anorexia nervosa symptoms in both adolescents and adults.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD) are highly comorbid with AN, particularly the restrictive subtype. Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder is linked with more severe symptomatology and worse prognosis.The causality between personality disorders and eating disorders has yet to be fully established.Other comorbid conditions include depression,alcoholism, borderline and other personality disorders,anxiety disorders,attention deficit hyperactivity disorder,and body dysmorphic disorder (BDD).Depression and anxiety are the most common comorbidities,and depression is associated with a worse outcome.
Autism spectrum disorders occur more commonly among people with eating disorders than in the general population.Zucker et al. (2007) proposed that conditions on the autism spectrum make up the cognitive endophenotype underlying anorexia nervosa and appealed for increased interdisciplinary collaboration.
( Source- from Internet)
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