Anorexia Nervos A Serious Disease - 996 Words

Introduction Anorexia nervosa is a very serious disease that involves the mind and the body. This paper will describe the disease itself, signs and symptoms, diagnostic measures, treatment and complications, and nursing considerations. After reading this paper the reader will be more knowledgeable about the disease and how to acknowledge patients who are suffering with anorexia nervosa and treat them accordingly. Body Anorexia nervosa, otherwise known as fat phobia, is a disease that can be described as the refusal of food or nutritional substances followed by weight loss, and in women, amenorrhea. This condition can most likely be found in young women in the western culture. Research has been shown that the western civilization has the most prevalent cases of anorexia nervosa. With all the weight-loss programs that are offered within western civilization to women, this can be why this disease is so common among its youth. These programs give the ideal of a slim figure as what is to be expected in today’s society, therefore leading to this disease. (Simpson 2002). The criteria that is required to diagnose this disease is as follows: the refusal to maintain body weight at or above what is considered normal for the patients age and height, failure to gain weight during growth periods, fear of becoming â€Å"fat† and gaining weight even when under the set normal weight for that indivi dual, denying the seriousness of the condition the patient is currently in when severely