annorexia

sabina · Joined: 06 Mar 2006 Posts: 93

I am little confused about two terms, actually diseases that are very 'popular' in past few years. Could someone explain me what exacty is annorexia? How is annorexia different than bulimia? What are symptoms of annorexia and bulimia? If person lost lots of weight (I lost 30 in 5 months), it there possibility this person is annorexic or bulimic?

taya · Joined: 12 Jan 2006 Posts: 107

Common to both anorexia and bulimia is underlying mental problem… not being satisfied with her/him self in one way or another. They are both very serious illnesses and not long ago people took them easy. Well, it is not how it works today. There are many institutions that help people face their problems- both physical and psychical. Treatment is not easy and not a short one.
The biggest difference between annorexia and bulimia is that people suffering from anorexia starve themselves by not eating or eating in ridiculously small amounts (eating cherry is a meal for anorexics, while bulimics eat large amounts of food and after almost every time throw up. Sometimes they force themselves, and sometimes throwing up comes automatically.
Main symptom of annorexia or bulimia is loosing weight abnormally, which means usually 15 % below their normal weight, considering age, height and build. Women do not get their periods, most of the times bulimics and anorexics suffer from brittle skin, weakness, anxiety, shortness of breath. There are also mental barricades, like not wanting to eat in public or obsession with calorie intake and similar.
I am not sure you are anorexic  it is hard to say, you said you’ve lost lots of pounds, which is typical for both diseases, but as you know, what most matters is HOW you have lost them…Did you starve yourself to bones or did you throw up after eating. Or you had exercise on almost daily basis? This is up to you clear up. Besides, it is also important how much you weight for your height or body structure. If you have few pounds under your normal weight, I am sure you have nothing to worry about. But most important is how you feel: people with annorexia or bulimia look like skin and bones and are still convinced they are overweight, so they use sometimes laxatives, exercise excessively and as mentioned they eat in very moderate amounts. If you are not objective, asks someone how you look Smile

and if s/he says skinny and you feel fat (here you have to be honest, no one can tell how you feel), you are not on good way and you need special attention.
I hope you are ok and everything works out for you.

julia80 · Joined: 31 Jul 2006 Posts: 50 Location: Berlin

my sister was bulimic 10 years ago....
about annorexia and bulimia... I agree, they both are long and basically mental illnessnes, but only most severe (however, not so rare) cases have tragic outcome... i mean, my sis was there and she overcame it, but she has problems with some stuff in her life (don't we all?!), but still... it is mostly mentally ... the physical appearance is a minor problem and can easier be dealt with than with the mental one. The hardest is to face it with the problem under the not eating or throwing out mask.

she · Joined: 27 Jan 2006 Posts: 141

Mother-in-law came to visit us yesterday... few days ago they visited some relatives and she told me that a girl (my hubby's cousin or something) she is 28 now, and she is alright, but was annorexic. Supposedly she is 175 cm tall and at one point she weighted 30 kilos! And at that weight she was functioning relatively normal...she wasn't just lying in bed. She said that they saw her at weight 33 - and it was all skin and bones. Horrible.
she says she is alright now, although all doctors were amazed she was still alive. But as i said she is alright, she gained all weight back, her period returned. Supposedly all her organs are fine and she is healthy ...
All i am trying to say is that she overcame the disease- she is not annorexic anymore, although her character was supposedly always snappish and quarrelsome... that's the way she is. There is one more point i wanted to bring out: most sources claim that women/men at risk for anorexia are in their teen. She is the case that proves opposite- she became anorexic when she was 24 or something.... so everyone work different.
I am just glad she's better (even though i don't know her). I am glad for everyone who gets better and overcomes this horrible and self-destructive disease.

Brian · Joined: 13 Feb 2006 Posts: 121

I know what 'skin and bones' is... just got mail with pictures of top models... on one side their pictures as seen in magazines (photo shop is key tool here!!!) and their REAL pictures on the other- i don't get it how something like this can be beautiful- how do these model keep their jobs looking like that. they look like death and they scared the shit out me when i saw their pictures. It's amazing what they can do with photoshop, but it's all illusion! know that Exclamation