90-95% of people with anorexia nervosa are female and the age of debut of the disorder is between 12 and 25 years old, with a peak between 14 and 18.
In the sixties, theanorexia It was more frequent in the wealthy social classes.
It is currently distributed homogeneously in the population and often an early onset is found (even before the age of 12).
A person who is affected to Anorexia Nervosa It manifests three main features:
- Underweight (body mass index below 18.5) as a result of a restriction of the energy intake compared to the physiological needs of the person;
- Fear of gaining weight even if it has been underweight;
- Excessive evaluation of the weight and shape of the body. That is, it evaluates itself mainly based on the number that appears on the scale and its forms of the body. One’s sense of self -control, trust and self -esteem depends almost entirely on the weight and shape of one’s body.
In the younger people who present Anorexia Nervosathe refusal to admit the seriousness of the underweight condition is also frequent.
This makes it very complicated to be next to them, especially if it is a person close to us.
What can we help to help an anorexic person?
If we think that a friend of ours suffers from a Eating disorder But he is not facing his difficulties in any way, it is important to be able to convince her to take more information on his problem. It is his right to decide whether to heal himself or not, but to do it consciously, it is necessary to have more knowledge about eating disorder and mechanisms.
Be able to convince an anorexic friend To contact a psychotherapist even for more information than the food problem, it is not easy. Using kindness and sensitivity is the secret to approaching the often hidden pain, of who has a eating disorder like anorexia. In fact, let’s not forget that people often be ashamed of their behaviors. Precisely for this reason it is necessary to choose a private moment in which with kindness and sensitivity, trust our concerns compared to the food problem.
If instead you are parents of A girl suffering from Anorexia Nervosarepeat constantly to every meal “you have to eat!” Or “Finish what you have in the plate!” Unfortunately not much is needed.
What happens to her daughter/or is not a personal choice or a lack of will, but it is the result of a disease (which has the name of Anorexia Nervosa).
This has specific mechanisms and responds to specific treatments that act directly on these mechanisms. Each parent should reflect if the same attitude that would keep if the daughter suffered from a serious biological pathology against her daughter with anorexia nervosa.
The care systemactivates protection towards one’s offspring and attack towards each threat external to its survival or health. In the case ofAnorexia Nervosaprotection and attack are both facing the son. In fact, the external threat that is identified in the person himself to be defended is missing. This often leads parents to feel anger towards their daughter/Oea being critical of some dysfunctional behaviors put in place.
In most cases, an attitude of criticism and a high expressed emotion leads to developing a dysfunctional family atmosphere. This can aggravate or maintain the Eating disorder.
It is important to understand that an anorexic person It has little control over its disease and which must be helped to be able to defeat it. Defeating anorexia nervosa, does not mean fighting against her daughter/or, but against the disease and mechanisms that above it.
The research showed that the most useful attitude to be adopted and therapeutically essential, is an attitude of acceptance of her daughter, not criticizing her food behavior (Da Grave, 2014). It is also important, trying to convince it/or to start a specialist treatment. Food disorders in adolescence have a good prognosis, but are associated with serious medical and psychosocial complications if not addressed in the short time.
The CBT-E (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy-ENleMeD) is a specific form of cognitive behavioral therapy developed by the Center for Research on eating disorder of Oxford. It is scientifically validated to deal with the cognitive and behavioral processes of maintenance of psychopathology operating in the patient with the affected by Food disorders.
In the case of teenagers, while remaining an individual, flexible and personalized therapy, the CBT-E provides for an involvement of the parents to whom indications are provided on how to assist their child during meals and tools in order to reduce the level of negative emotion and the level of criticism.
