Thursday, November 30, 2006

Anorexia treatment in a nutshell

Anorexia is a disease that is characterized by loss of weight, excessive fear of plumpness, the distorted idea of one's own appearance and serious metabolic and hormonal infringements. Lack of appetite, cessation of menses, increased physical activity, and sometimes strengthening of appetite with is compulsive vomiting after meal, excessive concern in food and its preparation, attacks of gluttony and aspiration to lose weight are also typical of anorexia.

Patients often persistently deny that there's something wrong with their eating behaviour. But anorexia is a very serious illness and anorexia treatment is a very important and difficult issue. In case of extreme exhaustion hospitalization and compulsory feeding are necessary in order to rescue the patient's life. Psychotropic means - tranquilizers or energizers - give, apparently, only short-term effect. Many doctors use family therapy, individual psychoanalysis, behavioural therapy and endocrine treatment as the basic methods. All these approaches have approximately equal efficiency. Nowadays it is considered, that the combination of all above-named methods gives the best results in anorexia treatment.

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