Types of anorexia (symptoms, causes and characteristics)

Anorexia nervosa is one of the most well-known eating disorders with the greatest exposure to the media. However, it must be borne in mind that this alteration does not consist of a set of symptoms that always appear together in the same way.

That is why, if we want to specify more and describe in greater detail the way in which this affectation is expressed, we must talk about types of anorexia nervosa.

But, before we focus on this classification, let's get to the basics: the definition of this disorder.

• Related article: "The 4 types of bulimia and their characteristics"

What is anorexia?

Etymologically, the term "anorexia" means "lack of hunger". This fact is already giving us a clue about the nature of anorexia nervosa; It is an eating disorder, one of whose main symptoms is the lack of food and drink intake beyond water.

Thus, the word anorexia refers to the lack of appetite, a symptom present in the typical clinical picture of various disorders and diseases, while anorexia nervosa it is a specific eating disorder, not a symptom

. Specifically, anorexia nervosa is a disorder characterized by an interest in losing weight and volume carried to a pathological extreme, materialized in the constant refusal to eat so as not to fatten.

In this way, regardless of the type of anorexia nervosa that we are talking about, this disorder causes people to become so thin or to carry a diet so poor and harmful that your health is in serious danger.

• You may be interested: "The 10 most common eating disorders"

Some symptoms

Symptoms that characterize the different types of anorexia nervous (regardless of which is present in each case) are the following:

• Body Mass Index significantly below the average for the age and sex of the person.
• Headaches
• Bradycardia (drop in heart rate).
• Anxiety.
• Obsession with the calorie count of what is consumed.
• Feeling tired.
• Abnormally dry skin (xerosis)
• Hypotension
• In addition, in very serious and advanced cases it can cause:
• Amenorrhea (disappearance of menstruation).
• Malnutrition.

Types of anorexia nervosa

Now that we have seen the basic characteristics of the disorder, let's move on to the types of anorexia nervosa and their characteristics.

Basically, the types of anorexia are two: purgative anorexia and restrictive anorexia.

1. Purgative anorexia

Purgative-type anorexia nervosa it is characterized by purging stages, which normally consist of vomiting and, in some cases, the use of diuretics or laxatives.

Before the purge phase, there is a binge phase that is experienced as an uncontrollable urge that leads to fast eating and little chewing.

The typical profile of purgative anorexia patients are female adolescents with a tendency to impulsivity and to constant self-evaluation thoughts based on your physical appearance.

The difference between purgative anorexia and bulimia, which is a very similar eating disorder, is that in the former the body weight is below that indicated for a person of these characteristics, and is more prone to falling into the malnutrition.

• Related article: "5 differences between Anorexia and Bulimia"

2. Restrictive anorexia

In this type of anorexia no purging occurs. Instead, constant resistance to the act of eating occurs. The latter is a possibility that in many cases is seen as something disgusting, since it is associated with the process of getting fat.

Thus, this type of anorexia is more typical of methodical and perfectionist people, rigid with rules and capable of extreme self-control, and they do not present the impulsive profile of patients with purgative anorexia. However, both sex and the typical age range is the same as in the other type of anorexia nervosa.

Causes

It is estimated that both types of anorexia nervosa have a multicausal origin, they do not depend entirely on genetics or the influence of the environment. The factors that most influence its appearance are these:

1. Family factors

The presence of family members with mental disorders or neurological disorders Living with the person increases the chances of them developing anorexia nervosa. This occurs especially during youth, when one is more dependent on the family and is more susceptible to imitating behavior patterns. Similarly, a family environment in which there is great pressure towards perfectionism also contributes to its emergence.

2. Cultural factors

These are factors related to the type of cultural influences the person is exposed to. Both the media and the Internet they can show role models who are characterized by extreme thinness, something that is very evident on some social media accounts.

In addition, through social networks it is common that the images of extremely thin young people are also used as references, and there are even social media accounts dedicated to using these photos to "motivate" others to follow the same steps and resist eat.

3. Individual factors

Heritability plays a role in the risk of developing some of the types of anorexia, and the same happens with other aspects that are strictly not genetic, such as the presence of other diagnosed disorders. The clinical pictures most related to anorexia are major depression and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.