Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder that carries severe mental and physical effects for teenagers and young adults. While this disorder can potentially affect anyone, regardless of age, gender, or race, anorexia nervosa is particularly prevalent amongst girls between the ages of 13 and 19. Anorexia nervosa can potentially be life-threatening when the affected individual doesn’t receive proper treatment or care. For severe cases, youth residential treatment programs can assist with restoring normal body weight and administering cognitive behavioral therapy to reduce the mental effects of the illness. Most of the time, however, the first step for anorexia nervosa treatment is speaking to a general practitioner. If you are a concerned parent or friend, you shouldn’t hesitate to reach out as soon as possible.

What is Anorexia Nervosa?

Anorexia nervosa is both a mental health and physical illness, wherein the affected individual reduces incoming calories and nutrients to the point of self-starvation with the goal of reducing their weight. As a result, the affected individual is typically severely underweight, which can then trigger several severe side effects, such as hair loss, lightheadedness, and dry skin. Many individuals with anorexia nervosa have an obsession with maintaining a thin appearance, which causes the reduction in food intake. They may also exercise excessively and, as a result, burn calories at a dangerous rate relative to the amount they are taking in.

What Are the Health Risks Associated With Anorexia Nervosa?

Anorexia nervosa can potentially be a life-threatening disorder if left unchecked. In many cases, the physical effects of the illness, such as low body mass index (BMI) and exhaustion, are a result of underlying mental health disorders. Anorexia nervosa and depression are often linked, with some studies suggesting that as many as 88% percent of teens between the ages of 13 and 18 that suffer from eating disorders are also simultaneously suffering from depression.

Anorexia nervosa carries several physical effects beyond simply being underweight. Frequent exhaustion and general aches are the most common physical side effect and typically show up before other more apparent side effects set in. Osteoporosis and other muscle and bone weaknesses are common, as is poor circulation and blood flow.

In more severe cases of anorexia nervosa, there may be resulting fertility problems, a weakening of the autoimmune system, or even nervous system twitches and seizures. The effects listed above are the most frequently appearing health risks of anorexia nervosa, as defined by the National Health Service of the United Kingdom. However, the complexity of the underlying condition and the biological vulnerability of certain individuals may lead to other side effects that are rarer but no less severe.

What Are the Common Causes of Anorexia Nervosa?

Unfortunately, there’s no single identifiable cause of anorexia nervosa. Teenagers who develop this eating disorder may have many psychological, biological, or social risk factors contributing to the development and progression of the disorder. Anorexia nervosa develops slowly so that the initial stages of the illness are often hidden from view. The person experiencing anorexia nervosa may not even be aware of its existence until it progresses in severity.

Cultural Risk Factors

Many eating disorders involve an obsession with weight loss and the maintenance of a thin appearance. Many studies examine the source of this "health" obsession instead to identify the source of anorexia nervosa, m. In most western cultures, the focus on exercise and keeping your body weight at idealized levels is a cultural norm related to the perception of beauty. Many teenagers may feel like this focus on health is necessary to fit into a particular friend group or school social class.

Social media is frequently linked to creating similar social pressures related to eating disorders, including the idealization of someone’s weight and health conditions. Platforms such as Instagram and Facebook can create unreasonable beauty ideals and, in many cases, worsening teen mental health. However, social media is not a directly linked cause of anorexia nervosa or any other eating disorder.

Psychological Risk Factors

Anxiety and other underlying mental health conditions may contribute to the development of eating disorders or otherwise put the affected individual at risk of developing one. Anxiety when eating can also contribute to severe weight loss, though this may not necessarily be in connection with anorexia nervosa. Perfectionist thinking can also create a vulnerability to this illness, as can extremely self-critical thinking. Treating an eating disorder is less than half related to physical care and often most of the treatment time is spent on cognitive-behavioral therapy and other forms of general mental health treatment.

Biological Risk Factors

Eating disorder studies frequently find that an increased risk of developing anorexia nervosa and bulimia is inheritable from a parent who has previously experienced a similar eating disorder. Note that the risk of developing an eating disorder is inheritable, rather than the eating disorder itself. Other illnesses or personality traits may also create a vulnerability to the illness, though these risk factors are not necessarily inherited. The degree to which genetics create a potential risk for eating disorders is currently undetermined. However, most scientists agree that certain genetic traits are risk factors for the development of anorexia nervosa.

Treatment Options for Anorexia Nervosa

While we aren’t entirely sure what causes anorexia nervosa in teenagers, there are several methods for treatment and recovery from the illness. Because anorexia nervosa is in many ways a mental health concern, the primary form of this treatment is typically CBT, otherwise known as cognitive-behavioral therapy. Other forms of therapy may be necessary for retraining the mindset of the individual away from rationalizing self-starvation. These treatment options may take several months, and it may take several weeks before there are visible results.

A residential treatment center or eating disorder recovery center is an option worth considering for many parents. For severe cases, hospitalization may be necessary for recovering the core vitals and nutrition of the affected individual. If you or someone you know could potentially be experiencing an eating disorder, you should reach out to a general practitioner as soon as possible to discuss these treatment options.