Definitions for anorexia nervosa
nɜrˈvoʊ səanorex·i·a ner·vosa

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:5.0 / 2 votes

1. anorexia nervosanoun

   (psychiatry) a psychological disorder characterized by somatic delusions that you are too fat despite being emaciated

WiktionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. anorexia nervosanoun

   An eating disorder characterized by self starvation due to a fear of gaining weight.

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Anorexia nervosa

   Anorexia nervosa, often referred to simply as anorexia, is an eating disorder characterized by low weight, food restriction, body image disturbance, fear of gaining weight, and an overpowering desire to be thin. Anorexia is a term of Greek origin: an- (ἀν-, prefix denoting negation) and orexis (ὄρεξις, "appetite"), translating literally to "a loss of appetite"; the adjective nervosa indicating the functional and non-organic nature of the disorder. Anorexia nervosa was coined by Gull in 1873 but, despite literal translation, the feeling of hunger is frequently present and the pathological control of this instinct is a source of satisfaction for the patients.Individuals with anorexia nervosa have a fear of being overweight or being seen as such, although they are in fact underweight. The DSM-5 describes this perceptual symptom as "disturbance in the way in which one's body weight or shape is experienced". In research and clinical settings, this symptom is called "body image disturbance". Individuals with anorexia nervosa also often deny that they have a problem with low weight. They may weigh themselves frequently, eat small amounts, and only eat certain foods. Some exercise excessively, force themselves to vomit (in the "anorexia purging" subtype), or use laxatives to lose weight and control body shapes, and/or binge eat. Medical complications may include osteoporosis, infertility, and heart damage, along with the cessation of menstrual periods. In extreme cases, patients with anorexia nervosa who continually refuse significant dietary intake and weight restoration interventions, and are declared incompetent to make decisions by a psychiatrist, may be fed by force under restraint via nasogastric tube after asking their parents or proxies to make the decision for them.The cause of anorexia is currently unknown. There appear to be some genetic components with identical twins more often affected than fraternal twins. Cultural factors also appear to play a role, with societies that value thinness having higher rates of the disease. Additionally, it occurs more commonly among those involved in activities that value thinness, such as high-level athletics, modeling, and dancing. Anorexia often begins following a major life-change or stress-inducing event. The diagnosis requires a significantly low weight and the severity of disease is based on body mass index (BMI) in adults with mild disease having a BMI of greater than 17, moderate a BMI of 16 to 17, severe a BMI of 15 to 16, and extreme a BMI less than 15. In children, a BMI for age percentile of less than the 5th percentile is often used.Treatment of anorexia involves restoring the patient back to a healthy weight, treating their underlying psychological problems, and addressing behaviors that promote the problem. While medications do not help with weight gain, they may be used to help with associated anxiety or depression. Different therapy methods may be useful, such as cognitive behavioral therapy or an approach where parents assume responsibility for feeding their child, known as Maudsley family therapy. Sometimes people require admission to a hospital to restore weight. Evidence for benefit from nasogastric tube feeding is unclear; such an intervention may be highly distressing for both anorexia patients and healthcare staff when administered against the patient's will under restraint. Some people with anorexia will have a single episode and recover while others may have recurring episodes over years. Many complications improve or resolve with the regaining of weight.Globally, anorexia is estimated to affect 2.9 million people as of 2015. It is estimated to occur in 0.3% to 4.3% of women and 0.2% to 1% of men in Western countries at some point in their life. About 0.4% of young women are affected in a given year and it is estimated to occur ten times more commonly among women than men. Rates in most of the developing world are unclear. Often it begins during the teen years or young adulthood. While anorexia became more commonly diagnosed during the 20th century it is unclear if this was due to an increase in its frequency or simply better diagnosis. In 2013, it directly resulted in about 600 deaths globally, up from 400 deaths in 1990. Eating disorders also increase a person's risk of death from a wide range of other causes, including suicide. About 5% of people with anorexia die from complications over a ten-year period, a nearly six times increased risk. According to a study conducted in 2020, it was observed that the unadjusted odds ratio of mortality among male (6.1%) patients was more than twice the ratio for female patients (2.6%) in Japan (Edakubo & Fushimi). In recent years, evolutionary psychiatry as an emerging scientific discipline has been studying mental disorders from an evolutionary perspective. It is still debated whether eating disorders such as anorexia have evolutionary functions or if they are problems resulting from a modern lifestyle.

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. anorexia nervosa

   Anorexia nervosa is a serious and potentially life-threatening eating disorder characterized by self-starvation and excessive weight loss. It is a psychological condition in which a person has an intense fear of gaining weight and a distorted body image leading to an inability to maintain an appropriate body weight. This disorder is typically associated with a number of symptoms including severe restrictions on food intake, obsession with calories and fat contents of food, extreme concern with body size and shape, and often excessive physical exercise. It is more commonly diagnosed in females but can affect both genders.

WikidataRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Anorexia nervosa

   Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by immoderate food restriction and irrational fear of gaining weight, as well as a distorted body self-perception. It typically involves excessive weight loss and is usually found more in females than in males. Because of the fear of gaining weight, people with this disorder restrict the amount of food they consume. This restriction of food intake causes metabolic and hormonal disorders. Outside of medical literature, the terms anorexia nervosa and anorexia are often used interchangeably; however, anorexia is simply a medical term for lack of appetite, and people with anorexia nervosa do not in fact, lose their appetites. Patients suffering from anorexia nervosa may experience dizziness, headaches, drowsiness and a lack of energy. Anorexia nervosa is characterized by low body weight, inappropriate eating habits, obsession with having a thin figure, and the fear of gaining weight. It is often coupled with a distorted self image which may be maintained by various cognitive biases that alter how the affected individual evaluates and thinks about her or his body, food and eating. Those suffering from anorexia often view themselves as "too fat" even if they are already underweight. They may practice repetitive weighing, measuring, and mirror gazing, alongside other obsessive actions to make sure they are still thin, a common practice known as "body checking".

U.S. National Library of MedicineRate this definition:5.0 / 1 vote

1. Anorexia Nervosa

   An eating disorder that is characterized by the lack or loss of APPETITE, known as ANOREXIA. Other features include excess fear of becoming OVERWEIGHT; BODY IMAGE disturbance; significant WEIGHT LOSS; refusal to maintain minimal normal weight; and AMENORRHEA. This disorder occurs most frequently in adolescent females. (APA, Thesaurus of Psychological Index Terms, 1994)

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1. anorexia nervosa

   Song lyrics by anorexia nervosa -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by anorexia nervosa on the Lyrics.com website.

Matched Categories

1. • Anorexia
   • Psychiatry

How to pronounce anorexia nervosa?

1. Alex

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   Mark

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   Daniel

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   Libby

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   Mia

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How to say anorexia nervosa in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of anorexia nervosa in Chaldean Numerology is: 2

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of anorexia nervosa in Pythagorean Numerology is: 1

Examples of anorexia nervosa in a Sentence

1. Joanna Steinglass:

   This study was the first to test the hypothesis that the behaviors in anorexia nervosa meet the cognitive neuroscience definition of ‘habit’, we found that while patients with anorexia nervosa make choices about food, they show related activity in the dorsal striatum, whereas healthy individuals do not. This suggests different neural mechanisms are active for these individuals.

2. Thomas Szasz:

   Addiction, obesity, starvation (anorexia nervosa) are political problems, not psychiatric: each condenses and expresses a contest between the individual and some other person or persons in his environment over the control of the individual's body.

References

1. ^ Princeton's WordNet
   http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=anorexia nervosa
2. ^ Wiktionary
   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Anorexia_Nervosa
3. ^ Wikipedia
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anorexia_Nervosa
4. ^ ChatGPT
   https://chat.openai.com
5. ^ Wikidata
   https://www.wikidata.org/w/index.php?search=anorexia nervosa