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|   Anorexia Help: How to Recognize and Overcome the Emotional Issues Behind this Serious Issue
People with anorexia are obsessed with being thin, to the point that they engage in self-starvation and deprive themselves of the nutrients their body needs to survive.
Because the disorder often goes undiagnosed, actual numbers on anorexia in the United States are hard to pinpoint. According to the National Institutes of Mental Health (NIMH), 0.5 to 3.7 percent of females suffer from anorexia in their lifetime, though some experts say up to 10 percent of female adolescents have the condition.
What is known is that anorexia is overwhelmingly a female issue, with young women accounting for 90 percent of cases, according to NIMH.
“Most of us have tremendous insecurity about how our body looks, which distorts our perceptions of how we truly look to ourselves and others,” says Hale Dwoskin, CEO and director of training of Sedona Training Associates.
In people with anorexia, that insecurity can lead to extreme weight loss, malnutrition and even death.
Physical and Emotional Signs and Symptoms of Anorexia
Anorexia manifests in a physical way when a person severely restricts their food intake and perhaps also engages in exercise excessively. This disease has one of the highest death rates of all mental illnesses, with about 5 percent of sufferers dying from anorexia each year.
This is a 12 times higher risk of death than the annual death rate from all causes among women aged 15-24.
A person with anorexia can fast become severely malnourished, leading to major organ damage to the brain, heart, kidneys and other organs. Most commonly, death from anorexia is caused by cardiac arrest, electrolyte imbalance and suicide, according to NIMH.
Anorexia, however, is not just a physical disease but a mental one. Many people with anorexia face the following emotional struggles:
- Low self-esteem
- Obsessive-compulsive personality traits
- An extreme drive for perfectionism http://www.sedona.com/lp-perfection.aspx
- A need to control things
- Intense fear of gaining weight
- Distorted body image
You may be able to recognize anorexia in a loved one by the following signs:
- A thin appearance, brittle hair and nails, dry skin and fatigue
- Refusal to eat or a preoccupation with food
- Intolerance to cold, or a soft, downy hair covering their body
- Complaining about being fat, even though they are very thin
- Repeated weighing of themselves or checking their appearance in the mirror
- Absence of menstruation, constipation, dizziness or fainting
- Engaging in strange food rituals, like cutting food into tiny pieces or only eating a few foods that are low in calories and fat
- Weighing food
- Skipping meals
- Wearing baggy or layered clothing
Overcoming Anorexia and Other Body Insecurity Issues
Often, people with anorexia refuse treatment because they don’t believe they need it, or they don’t want it. However, as many as 70 percent of those who seek treatment can overcome the illness.
A key part to overcoming anorexia is to let go of the feelings that are causing you to view your body in a negative way. The Sedona Method can show you how to tap into your inner ability to release this insecurity, fear, and low self-esteem, so that you are able to see yourself as you truly are: beautiful.
“If you let go of your insecurity and also the feeling that you are fat or unattractive, you can be more relaxed with how your body actually looks and feels,” Dwoskin says.
“This will help you to manage your weight more easily whether you are trying to gain or lose weight,” he says. “You will also know which is most appropriate.”
Because the scientifically proven Sedona Method will stay with you wherever you go, once you learn it you can use it anywhere, anytime you are feeling doubtful about your body, or thinking of making an unhealthy decision about food.
Over time, you will start to see the real picture of who you are, the version that those around you also see.
“You will be able to love what you see in the mirror more easily every step along the way,” Dwoskin says.
Sources
MayoClinic.com
National Institute of Mental Health
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