Anorexia Nervosa

Anorexia Nervosa

Maggie Caldwell

Sometimes disordered eating becomes a more serious problem, and turns into an actual mental disorder, diagnosable according to the guidelines of the National Institutes of Mental Health (NIMH).  The most well-known eating disorder (which is what these more serious issues are called) is Anorexia Nervosa. 

Although Anorexia is the rarest of eating disorders, affecting less than 1% of the population of the United States, it is well-known because it’s the easiest one to see and it is also the most likely to kill the sufferer.  Several celebrities have had anorexia, including Portia DiRossi, who wrote a book about her experiences; Mary-Kate Olsen; and Isabella Caro and Karen Carpenter, who both died from the condition.

According to NIMH, a person can be diagnosed with anorexia if he or she weighs less that 85% of normal, has an intense fear of gaining weight (either spoken or inferred from his or her actions), and considers herself or himself to be overweight when the average person would think just the opposite.  In some instances, the lack of a monthly period is also part of the diagnosis.

Anorexia (as well as Bulimia and binge eating disorder, which will be addressed in later blogs) rarely is due only to a desire to be thin.  There are usually other psychological triggers that cause the sufferer to develop a full-blown eating disorder.  

-Maggie Caldwell