Anorexia

Having trouble eating enough, but your mind’s consumed with food?

Anorexia Nervosa (anorexia) is a type of eating disorder in which patients restrict the amount of food they eat due to an intense fear of gaining weight. Patients with anorexia are typically unable to see their bodies as they truly are, a concept called body dysmorphia, which can worsen self-esteem and further drive the desire to lose more weight. Patients sometimes engage in other behaviors to assist in weight loss, such as over-exercising or self-induced vomiting. Along with the physical consequences of undernutrition, including negative effects on the bones, heart, gastrointestinal tract, hormones and brain, adolescents and young adults struggling with anorexia often experience anxiety, depressive symptoms, obsessional thinking, and sometimes feel withdrawn from their friends and families due to their illness.

We at AYAM are experts at identifying anorexia, even at its early stages, as it is important to intervene as early as possible! We recognize that eating disorders are a struggle for the adolescent or young adult as well as for his or her family, and we provide warm, individualized and and nonjudgmental care. As medical physicians, we are experts at evaluating, staging and managing this illness. We often work together with other experienced providers, such as nutritionists and therapists, to create a team approach for treatment. We at AYAM are ready to start working together with you toward a plan of care!