What are DCAs?
DCAs are psychiatric pathologies characterized by the presence of alterations in eating behavior. In addition to the "NA, among the DCAs we recognize:
- Bulimia Nervosa (BN)
- Binge Eating Disorder (BED).
DCAs that DO NOT meet all criteria for a specific disorder are classified as Not Otherwise Specified Eating Disorders (NAS), or referred to as "border line".
What does "Anorexia Nervosa consist of?"
Anorexia Nervosa is an eating disorder that leads to the absolute refusal to keep the Body Mass Index (BMI) above the normal minimum, due to the altered perception of weight and of one's own body image.
Who Affects Anorexia Nervosa?
According to what is cited in the Statistical Diagnostic Manual of mental disorders, the prevalence of Anorexia Nervosa is far higher in industrialized countries where food is abundant and where the value of thinness is emphasized (especially for women).
Anorexia Nervosa rarely occurs before puberty, but it seems that, in cases with pre-pubertal onset, the clinical case is more severe for associated mental disorders. The prevalence among women is 0.5% and in males it is about a tenth of that of women.
properly speaking, therefore, it underlines the need for a rapid diagnostic process and a specific therapeutic program.
Diagnostic Criteria of Anorexia Nervosa
The diagnostic criteria for "Anorexia Nervosa are closely linked to particular symptoms and behaviors; in this case:
- Refusal to keep body weight above the normal minimum weight
- Intense fear of gaining weight
- Presence of an "alteration of the body image" as regards body shapes and dimensions
- In women, in the post-pubertal period, there is amenorrhea.
Other manifestations and attitudes that are sometimes associated with anorexia nervosa are:
- Discomfort in eating in public
- Feelings of inadequacy
- You need to keep the surrounding environment under control
- Mental rigidity
- Reduced spontaneity in interpersonal relationships
- Perfectionism
- Repression of initiative and emotional expression.
See also: Symptoms, Clinical Signs and Short-Term Complications of Anorexia
Binge eating and AN Classification
Based on the presence or absence of regular binges or elimination behaviors, Anorexia Nervosa differs into the following subtypes:
- Anorexia Nervosa with restrictions: diet, fasting and physical activity
- Anorexia Nervosa with Binge Eating / Elimination Ducts: regular binges and elimination ducts (self-induced vomiting, laxatives, diuretics or enemas).
Recognizing Anorexia Nervosa
Thanks to the understanding of the diagnostic criteria it is possible to draw a profile (albeit approximate) of the anorexic or anorexic; the ability to recognize (more or less in detail) these behaviors and attitudes can be of fundamental importance in early diagnosis, as a determining factor in the prevention of chronicity, and for the treatment of Anorexia Nervosa.
Above all, the anorexic subject has a weight and a Body Mass Index below the normal threshold (BMI <18.5). Whether or not this aspect is evident depends above all on two factors: time and severity of the disease, the ability to hide one's thinness.
It is common for the anorexic to use some expedients to hide their condition; among them, the most frequent are: dressing in loose clothes that hide thinness, avoid eating in public and lying about their eating habits.
Furthermore, it often happens that the anorexic / or camouflages the excessive practice of physical activity by assuming an attitude of marked "health"; among anorexics it is frequent to resort to compensation methods such as self-induced vomiting, laxatives, diuretics or enemas if it is not It is possible to avoid eating normally.
All this can be associated with a detachment from friendships and family ties due to a marked sense of inadequacy.
It is often possible to recognize the tendency of the anorexic / or to acquire excessive levels of attention towards people and the surrounding environment, while in the work and / or school sector they are distinguished by the assiduous search for excellent results completely denying the possibility of failure. in the intent.
In the initial phase of the disease, properly defined "Honeymoon", the anorexic appears euphoric, happy and carefree; it is a transitory condition that often totally confounds the first suspicions of an eating disorder.
At the time of diagnosis or research of symptoms, an irrefutable distortion of one's body, of one's shapes and of one's weight emerges, highlighting an absolute discrepancy between the real body condition and the perceived one.
Nutrition is experienced as a terrifying practice, an enemy to be fought by any means: hence the distinction between Anorexia Nervosa with restrictions, which includes diet, fasting and physical activity, and Anorexia Nervosa with binges and purging.
