Although the eating disorder anorexia is most frequently associated
with teenage girls, it is also common amongst young gay men.
What is it?
Anorexia Nervosa is a psychological disorder characterized by an obsessive
desire to lose weight. It manifests itself through severe dieting, a response
to the sufferer’s fear of being fat. Anorexia can lead to serious
health problems, including heart, kidney or multiple organ failure, or
illnesses such as pneumonia. About 10% of anorexics die from such conditions.
Although it’s most frequently associated with teenage girls, anorexia
is also common amongst young gay men. One theory that has been advanced
to explain this phenomenon is that the body fascism prevalent in gay culture
leads many gay men to feel inferior about their appearance.
Symptoms
The most obvious symptom of anorexia is an emaciated appearance. Anorexics
may also develop pallid complexions, dry skin, brittle nails, and experience
a loss of hair on the head. In addition, fine hair may grow all over their
bodies, which is the body’s attempt to keep itself warm when fat
stores are depleted.
Other indications that a person is anorexic include increased sensitivity
to coldness, irritability, difficulty in concentrating and, in women,
irregular periods. Anorexics may also display an obsession with food and
its preparation, a refusal to eat, a denial of hunger and an obsession
with exercising.
Causes
There are several factors which can contribute to the development of
anorexia. These include low self-esteem, depression and an inability to
cope with stress. Societal pressures to remain thin have also been highlighted
as a major factor influencing those who develop the disorder.
Anorexics tend to use food and dieting as a way of dealing with emotional
problems. They often get a feeling of empowerment through being able to
control one area of their life: their weight. One thing most anorexics
have in common is that they overestimate how fat they are. They may be
seriously underweight, but they think of themselves
as being fat.
Treatment
Many anorexics initially refuse to admit that they have a problem. This
is because they often believe that there is no problem, but also because
they fear having admitted to being underweight, they will be forced to
put on weight—something that is anathema to the anorexic. Generally,
it is through the intervention of others that the anorexic seeks help.
Severely ill anorexics are almost always admitted to hospital. Those
displaying less acute symptoms may also be hospitalized, although outpatient
treatment may be deemed sufficient. Nutritional counselling and therapy
are usually provided to help deal with the root cause of the sufferer’s
problem.
|
