Anorexia(ingles)

Anorexia

What are the signs?

You find that you:

• worry more and more about your weight

• eat less and less

• exercise more and more, to burn off calories

• can't stop losing weight, even when you are well below a safe weight for your age and height

smoke more or chew gum to keep your weight down

What happens?

• You take in very few calories every day. You eat "healthily" - fruit, vegetables and salads - but they don't give your body enough energy.

• You may also exercise, use slimming pills, or smoke more to keep your weight down.

Cure for anorexia

A psychiatrist or psychologist will first want to talk with you, to find out when the problem started and how it developed. You will be weighed and, depending on how much weight you've lost, may need a physical examination and blood tests. With your permission, the psychiatrist will probably want to talk with your family (and perhaps a friend) to see what light they can shed on the problem.

Bulimia Nervosa

What are the signs?

You find that you:

• worry more and more about your weight

• binge eat (see below)

• make yourself vomit and/or use laxatives or other ways to get rid of calories

• have irregular menstrual periods

• feel tired

• feel guilty

stay a normal weight, in spite of your efforts to diet.

How can it be cure

Psychotherapy
Two kinds of psychotherapy have been shown to be effective in Bulimia Nervosa. They are both given in weekly sessions over about 20 weeks.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)

Interpersonal Therapy (IPT)

Eating advice

Medication

For prevent

Do:

• Stick to regular mealtimes – breakfast, lunch and dinner. If your weight is very low, have morning, afternoon and night time snacks too.

• Try to think of one small step you could take towards a healthier way of eating. If you can’t face eating breakfast, try sitting at the table for a few minutes at breakfast time and just drinking a glass of water. When you have got used to doing this, have just a little to eat, even half a slice of toast – but do it every day.

•

•

•

• Don’t weigh yourself more than once a week.

• Don’t spend time checking your body and looking at yourself in the mirror. Nobody is perfect. The longer you look at yourself, the more likely you are to find something you don’t like. Constant checking can make the most attractive person unhappy with the way they look.

Don’t cut yourself off from family and friends. You may want to because they think you are too thin, but they could be a lifeline.

...