Why is anorexia such a dangerous disease?

Karin Bauman's heartbreaking story has once again raised awareness of the heavy price paid by young women who struggle with their body image and degenerate into anorexia.

How are eating disorders identified and how is the phenomenon treated?

Dr. Ilan Rabinowitz answers

Dr. Ilan Rabinovich

21/12/2021

Tuesday, 21 December 2021, 14:44 Updated: 15:08

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In recent days, Karin Bauman's painful story has returned to the headlines, raising the awareness of all of us that eating disorders are rising in human lives.

Karin has been dealing with severe anorexia for 15 years, and recently her condition deteriorated, she reached a weight of only 24 kilograms and her body systems began to collapse.

In an interview with Anat Davidov and Golan Yokfaz's program on 103FM, Yehudit Bauman, Karin's mother, spoke this morning (Tuesday) about her family's difficult struggle. "This is the worst situation she has ever been in. "And she needs to take down more. My war is very exhausting, tiring, frustrating. I feel like I'm in a different kind of world war."

More on Walla!

How can eating disorders in children and adolescents be identified?

To the full article

Eating disorders are among the most common mental health problems in the world, and especially in the Western world.

Millions of people around the world face physical and mental difficulties related to eating, which can develop into devastating situations and even lead to death.

In any of the three major eating disorders - compulsive eating, which is essentially a food-focused version of obsessive-compulsive disorder, bulimia nervosa and anorexia nervosa - the injury can be severe and dangerous, and very important to diagnose soon.

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Anorexia nervosa is a very severe disorder, which usually affects adolescent girls, causing them to have a distorted perception of their body.

The disorder causes them to lose more and more weight, to the point of extreme thinness leading to serious health problems, which can end in death.

There are two types of anorexia nervosa.

The first is called Restrictive, and is characterized by very little eating, on the verge of fasting, and increased physical activity.

The second type is called binge-bingeing, and it is characterized by episodes of binge eating combined with vomiting and the use of laxatives and diuretics, similar to bulimia.

But unlike bulimia, weight loss will occur here.

How is anorexia diagnosed?

95 percent of those suffering from anorexia nervosa are women, and its incidence is about half a percent among adolescent girls.

Studies have found that there is no difference in the prevalence of the disorder in different strata of the population, but it is less commonly diagnosed in the lower strata.

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The disease usually appears between the ages of 14 and 17, and develops gradually and slowly.

Most often she will start a diet, which will cause a slow weight loss.

Over time, the girl drastically reduces the amounts of food.

Later, she begins to dodge meals and fast for whole days.

She tries to hide the situation from her family, among other things by wearing large clothes.

To diagnose anorexia nervosa, four criteria are required:

1. Refusal to maintain minimal body weight.

The minimum is usually set at 20 percent below the average appropriate for age and height.

2. Huge fear, real phobia, of obesity and weight gain.

3. Disorder of body image, the way the girl experiences her weight and shape.

The anorexic girl looks in the mirror, sees a thin girl, and says to herself, "I'm fat."

This disorder in her perception exists only in herself - other people seem to her in their natural size.

Absence of menstruation for at least three consecutive months.

How is anorexia treated?

Anorexia is a chronic disease that is difficult to completely recover from, and over the years the mortality rate from it has been 6 percent. Even those who recover from the disease usually do not fully recover - even years after physical recovery, there is still an over-preoccupation with food, and full mental recovery is rare.

The treatment of anorexia is very complex, very personal, very delicate, and involves several factors that are intertwined. The drug treatment will include anti-obsessive-compulsive and anti-anxiety drugs, such as Seroquest, and sometimes even a combination of anti-psychotic drugs that increase appetite, such as Raspirdal or Zyprexa.

In addition, behavioral therapy is usually accompanied by nutrition, with positive and negative reinforcements. For example, in the inpatient wards there are penalties for lack of weight gain, and benefits for success. To these are added personal psychotherapeutic-dynamic therapy in conversations with a therapist, as well as family therapy, which teaches family members to cope with the illness. For as we have seen in Judith's words, it is a struggle and a family pain.

Need help or support in dealing with eating disorders?

Information on assistance and support factors can be found on the website of the Sahar Association - Assistance and Listening Online

• health

• psychology

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• anorexia

• Eating Disorders

• Judith Bauman