Is your starving an Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

If you always thought that starvation is the direct result of poverty, think again. It is now a known fact that almost 40% of the female population aged between 15 to 19 years; amongst the Western Industrialized countries suffer from the eating disorder called Anorexia Nervosa, and at least 10% of its male population suffers a similar fate. Anorexia Nervosa is thought to have the highest mortality rate of any known psychiatric disorder with approximately 6% of the individuals diagnosed decreasing through related causes.

Anorexia Nervosa is a result of various causes, mostly psychological, social and biological factors and is medically defined as a psychiatric eating disorder that is characterized by an extreme loss of body weight and an excessive fear of gaining even the slightest amount of body mass. Those affected by the disorder loose almost 85% of their body weight. These individuals are known to use methods like purging, vomiting, starvation and drugs to prevent the gaining of weight.

The disorder is categorized into two types: those individuals who use means other than vomiting or purging; like starvation, diet pills and so on, and those who engage in binge-eating and purging. Anorexia is thought to brought about by the excessive social pressure, through media and peers to look slender, resulting in a low image of ones self and the need to conform to the general idea of beauty. The affected individual begins to exhibit a varied amount of physical symptoms during different phases of the disorder, such as the ceasing of periods in girls, impotence in men, stunted growth, decrease in libido, slow hear rate, reduced metabolism, weak immunity system, headaches, constipation, nerve deterioration, fainting and other related symptoms. They also exhibit drastic changes in psychological and social stability and develop a distorted image of self, low self esteem, OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder), perfectionism, clinical depression, and mood swings. They begin display changes in behavior such as self harm, excessive exercise, food restriction, sensitivity towards references about body weight and begin to withdraw from family and peers and denying themselves basic needs such as food and sleep.

The immediate treatment of patients having worst cases of Anorexia nervosa is immediate hospitalization focused on forced gaining of weight. Different drug treatments are introduced to counter clinical depression, social anxiety and weight gain. Also, a part of the treatment is psychotherapy to help the individual readjust to their social environment. One of the most common forms of therapy is family therapy, used in cases involving adolescence. There are also a numerous non profit organization that offers advice and care.

The major cause of Anorexia Nervosa is social, brought about by the promotion of the ideal female image being that of a thin slender individual. Though it is mostly considered to occur in Western Industrialized countries, the exposure to the Western media has begun to lead to cases of this disorder in non- Western countries. Recently the internet had become a means for individuals suffering from this disorder to communicate with one another, with patients helping others like them to get through towards recovery, and helping in breaking away from the engrained ideology that thin is beautiful.