If we translate literally the word "anorexia", we get words like "negation" and "hunger", that is, the term speaks for itself. But loss of appetite can be called anorexia, or are they different concepts?
The concept of anorexia in medicine is used as a separate disease or as a symptom of some diseases. Anorexia, of course, is a disease in which loss of appetite occurs, but also do not forget that loss of appetite can cause depression, negative psycho-emotional states, various phobias, somatic diseases, poisoning, taking medications, pregnancy. As a symptom, it serves as the definition of not many somatic diseases associated with a disorder of the gastrointestinal tract or other diseases.
If you treat anorexia as a disease, then it can be divided into anorexia nervosa and mental. Anorexia nervosa - eating disorders, characterized by a special weight loss, caused by the patient's own desire, for deliberate weight loss or unwillingness to gain excess weight. Statistically, it is often found in girls. With such anorexia, there is a pathological desire to lose weight, which is accompanied by a strong phobia before obesity. The patient has a distorted perception of his own figure, and the patient shows increased concern about weight gain, even if the body weight at the time of the patient's sight is not increased or even below normal. Unfortunately, in our time this kind of anorexia and the loss of appetite itself is not uncommon, and some even suddenly become the norm. Approximately 75-80% of patients are girls aged 14 to 25 years. The reasons for such a sharp loss of appetite are divided into psychological, that is, the influence of close people and relatives on the patient, genetic predisposition and social reasons, that is, the erection of someone's figure in the rank of an ideal or idol, the manner of imitation. This form of the disease is considered to be female anorexia.
Diagnosing anorexia is easy and quite real. The first signs of anorexia that can be identified independently and without recourse to a doctor is the inability to gain weight at a prepubertant age, that is, during a period of a person's height, weight is not gained. Also, the loss of such weight can be caused by the patient himself, that is, the patient tries to extract as much food as possible, arguing that it is incredibly full, although at the time of the examination the weight may be normal or even below normal. Similarly, the patient tries to extract food, that is, intentionally causes vomiting, takes laxatives, hyperactivity of the muscles, that is, excessive movement, the patient can take suppressant appetite (desopimon, mazindol) or use of diuretics. Further, the symptomatology of the patient can be attributed to the fact that he has a distorted perception of his own body, the idea of destroying the weight remains in his form of paranoia and the patient believes that low weight for him is the norm. Also, one of the unpleasant diagnostic symptoms is the atrophy of the genital organs in women and the absence of sexual attraction. There are also many mental symptoms, such as denial of the problem, sleep disorders, eating disorders and eating habits, and so on. In the treatment of this disease, family psychotherapy, improving the general condition of the patient, behavior and communication is the most important. Pharmacological methods are in this case only an addition to the previous treatment, that is, drugs stimulating appetite and so on.
With regard to mental anorexia, this can clearly be called a loss of appetite and food intake, which is characterized by a decrease in body weight caused by the patient's own desire, motivating it by the presence of a depressive state and a catatonic state, stimulated by delusions of poisoning. This disease can be attributed to a number of paranoia. Treatment of such anorexia should be aimed at restoring an independent meal, forming a normal perception of the figure itself, restoring the patient's normal weight and, of course, moral and mental support of relatives.
From this article we see that anorexia as a disease and as a symptom of many somatic diseases we can call the cause of a decrease in appetite, but to call anorexia simply the absence of hunger is hardly possible. Not only the pathological processes in the body cause anorexia, but mental and nervous disorders. Irritability in the family, depression, not persistent psycho-emotional conditions are not rarely the cause of anorexia, which then leads to a very burdening form of the disease. To avoid this, first, we need good relations in the family, sensitive and sympathetic close and familiar people. We need a good and normal diet, stick directly to the diet, do not overeat and do not spoil the appetite. Unfortunately, anorexia does not mean that parents have not properly raised their child. Personal, cultural and social character in many contribute to the development of anorexia.