Tips on Spotting Anorexia Symptoms

Anorexia is considered to be a serious illness that can even lead to death. Anorexia symptoms should be identified quickly in order to stop it from causing further damage to affected persons. Anorexia symptoms are usually easy to notice, as the disorder causes both physical and psychical changes. Once anorexia symptoms are confirmed, the patient needs to follow an appropriate treatment, involving therapy and a period of physical recovery.

The most important anorexia symptoms are dramatic changes in physical appearance caused by inappropriate eating (usually people who suffer from anorexia have a lower body weight than the average), obsession with body weight, calories, food and exercise, the refuse of eating normal amounts of food, irregular meals, attempts of replacing food with coffee, caffeine-based beverages and diet pills, unusual eating habits and rituals (playing with food, avoiding to swallow food or throwing it away).

People with anorexia have a strong will and keep drastic diets in order to lose weight. Some of them eat less food than their bodies require and often even refuse to eat at all. There are moments when anorexics eat large quantities of food during a single meal, only to later purge it out of their system by vomiting or using laxatives and diuretics.

An interesting aspect in the behavior of people with anorexia is the distorted perception of their own bodies. Even if they are actually underweight, anorexics still consider themselves to be fat. Also, they are never content with how much weight they lose, always trying to become thinner.

Anorexia symptoms include dizziness, lack of concentration, migraines, irritability, anxiety, fatigue, insomnia, nightmares, depression and loneliness. Persons with anorexia isolate themselves from the world, fearing that they won