Treating Anorexia: If Not Eating Is So Cool, Why Am I So Sick?

Anorexia is not like an ordinary disease. If you have, say, cancer, you know you are sick and you want to get well. You want treatment of some kind and you want it now!

Anorexics, even if they are literally starving to death, may not believe they have an illness and may not want any treatment. They may say they have good reasons for their extreme behavior and no one should interfere. There are even "pro-anorexia" web sites that offer tips on which foods to avoid and how to fight hunger! Here are some examples of posts, mostly from young women. While reading these, remember that binging/purging is part of anorexic behavior:

• "i will be 10 times happier if i am down in my weight. well i am gonna go puke up what i just ate sense no one is home."
• "The best type of binge food is someone else's food. I didn't have to spend a dime. My only issue is making sure to make it look like I haven't eaten as much as I actually have."
• "I really need your advice guys. I have a driving lesson in about 15mins. Last time I hadn't eaten anything for a couple of days, and I couldn't concentrate and nearly crashed into another car. I was shaky and felt really faint from having to concentrate so hard. I haven't eaten anything so far today, but yesterday I did. Do you think I should eat something before my lesson? And if so, what? Thanks so much."
• "I love this site...it makes me feel so normal...with my worries, my random eating habits..all my crazy thoughts...these is the one place i don't feel insane. I love it..for the while im on here it makes me feel like the world gets me..."
• "hi girls, i'm so lonely, who wants to do fasting with me? 14 days, just water, pleaseeeeeeeeee."

It is not hard to see there are genuinely serious issues here.

Treatment options in an inpatient or outpatient setting usually involve a team approach and include the following, but due to dehydration and electrolyte imbalance, treatment in the ER is sometimes a necessity:

• Medical care
• Psychotherapy
• Nutritional therapy
• Medications
• Hospitalization

• Source:
  Mayoclinic.Com
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