Eating disorder characterised by an aversion to food and gaining weight, that makes the person lose weight loss below healthy levels. Generally, it starts in the teenage years or early adulthood, being more prevalent in women.
The main cause is unknown, but risk factors have been described such as the cult of the body, a negative self-image, childhood anxiety disorder, thinness-focused social mores and perfectionist tendencies.
Its main symptoms are weight loss, fear and avoidance of food and social situations around it, as well as alterations in skin and mucous membranes, confused thought, extreme sensitivity to cold and loss of fat and muscle mass.
Most people who suffer from it do not acknowledge having an eating disorder, so they do not act upon it and refuse to be visited by a specialist. In mild cases, behavioural treatment is enough, but severe cases may require hospital admission for stabilisation and artificial nutritional support.
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