Anorexia Nervosa
Anorexia nervosa is a serious mental health condition with symptoms that vary based on the length and severity of the condition. It generally develops during adolescence or young adulthood and tends to affect more women than men. People with anorexia generally view themselves as overweight, even if they’re dangerously underweight. They tend to constantly monitor their weight, avoid eating certain types of foods, and severely restrict their calories.
Such individuals may also have difficulty eating in public and exhibit a strong desire to control their environment, limiting their ability to be spontaneous. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fifth Edition, the following are present in all diagnosed cases:
- Restriction of energy intake, resulting in significantly low body weight
- Intense fear of gaining weight or becoming fat (despite having a significantly low body weight)
- Disturbance in the experience of body weight or shape; undue influence of weight or shape on self-evaluation, or denial of the seriousness of low body weight
Anorexia nervosa is officially categorized into two subtypes — the restricting type and the binge eating and purging type. Those with the restricting type loose weight solely through dieting, fasting, or excessive exercise. People with the binge eating and purging type may binge on large amounts of food or eat very little. In both cases, after they eat, they purge using activities like vomiting, taking laxatives or diuretics, or exercising excessively.
What can be done?
Eating disorders such as Anorexia Nervosa are about more than food, although the term eating is in the name. They are such complex health conditions that often require the intervention of medical and psychological experts to alter their course. They can also be damaging to the body if left untreated.
Mental health is an essential part of our overall well-being. WHO defines mental health as “a state of well-being in which every individual realizes his or her potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and can contribute to her or his community.” As human beings, to feel good about life, and to reach a state of stability and balance, we must have good mental health. It can be achieved by self-awareness and knowing ourselves as the first step.
Then we have the self-esteem to manage the day-to-day life challenges we encounter. Psychological therapy is the most effective component of eating disorder treatment. It involves visiting a mental health professional on a regular basis. It may take months even years, however we can achieve normalizing eating patterns, improving our relationship and mood, developing problem-solving skills, and exploring healthy ways to cope with stressful situations.
Recommendations for athletes
It is true that athletics are a great way to build self-esteem, promote physical conditioning, and demonstrate the value of teamwork, However, an emphasis on body weight and shape and the pressure to win can create a toxic combination. Athletic competition can also be a contributing factor to physical and psychological stress.
There are many risk factors for athletes — especially female athletes — to develop disordered eating include:
- Overvalued belief that lower body weight will improve performance
- Family dysfunction, such as parents who live through the success of their child in sport, families with eating disorders; family, peer, and cultural pressures to be thin
- Sports that focus on the individual rather than the entire team, such as gymnastics, running, figure skating, and dance, versus teams’ sports such as basketball or soccer
- Sports that emphasize appearance, weight requirements, or muscularity such as gymnastics, diving, bodybuilding, or wrestling
- Endurance sports such as track and field, running, swimming
These protective factors may also recommend for athletes— especially female athletes:
- Seeking positive, and person-oriented coaching style rather than negative, performance-oriented one.
- Practicing social influence and support from teammates with healthy attitudes towards size, shape, and physical appearances.
- Seeking coaches who emphasize factors that contribute to personal success such as motivation and enthusiasm rather than body weight or shape.
- Seeking coaches and trainers who educate and focus primarily on the athlete as a whole person rather than on success and performance only.
