Symptoms of Anorexia Nervosa l Anorexia Nervosa

Anorexia is an eating disorder and a serious mental health condition.

People who have anorexia try to keep their weight as low as possible. They do this by not eating enough food or exercising too much, or both. This can make them very ill because they start to starve.

Men and women of any age can get anorexia, but it’s most common in young women and usually starts in the mid-teens.

Signs and symptoms

The main symptom of anorexia is losing a lot of weight or keeping your body weight much lower than is healthy for your age and height.

Signs and symptoms include:

missing meals, eating very little or avoiding eating any foods you see as fattening
lying about what and when you’ve eaten, and how much you weigh
taking medication to reduce your hunger (appetite suppressants)
exercising excessively
making yourself sick
using medication to help you poo (laxatives) or to make you pee (diuretics) to try to avoid putting on weight
an overwhelming fear of gaining weight
strict rituals around eating
seeing losing a lot of weight as a positive thing
believing you are fat when you are a healthy weight or underweight
not admitting your weight loss is serious

You may also notice physical signs and symptoms such as:

if you’re under 18, your weight and height being lower than expected for your age
if you’re an adult, having an unusually low body mass index (BMI)
your periods stopping (in women who have not reached menopause)
your periods not starting (in younger women and girls)
bloating, constipation and abdominal pain
headaches or problems sleeping
feeling cold, dizzy or very tired
poor circulation in hands and feet
dry skin, hair loss from the scalp, or fine downy hair (lanugo) growing on the body
reduced sex drive

People with anorexia often have other mental health problems. For example, depression or anxiety.

Warning signs of anorexia in someone else

The following warning signs could show that someone else has an eating disorder:

dramatic weight loss
lying about how much and when they’ve eaten, or how much they weigh
avoiding eating with others
cutting their food into small pieces
eating very slowly to disguise how little they are eating
trying to hide how thin they are by wearing loose or baggy clothes
frequent weighing
increased consumption of fluids

Warning signs of anorexia in children

Growth spurt may be delayed in children with anorexia
Weight gain may be less than expected

Complications of anorexia

Anorexia can lead to severe health problems associated with malnutrition. But these will usually start to improve once your eating habits return to normal.

Possible complications include:

problems with muscles and bones – feeling tired and weak, osteoporosis, physical development
fertility problems
loss of sex drive
problems with the heart and blood vessels
problems with the brain and nerves – fits, difficulties with concentration and memory
kidney or bowel problems
having a weakened immune system or anaemia

Anorexia can also put your life at risk. It’s one of the leading causes of deaths related to mental health problems. Deaths from anorexia may be due to physical complications or suicide.

Causes of anorexia

It’s not known what causes anorexia and other eating disorders. You may be more likely to get an eating disorder if:

you or a member of your family has a history of eating disorders, depression, or alcohol or drug addiction
you have been criticised for your eating habits, body shape or weight
you are very concerned about being slim
you have anxiety, low self-esteem, an obsessive personality or are a perfectionist
you have been sexually abused

Getting help

NEDRC are a team of healthcare and therapeutic professionals with vast experience of working with clients with mental health difficulties, specifically Eating Disorders (ED).