| | The following is a list of medical and psychiatric complications that can result from anorexia. I've tried to make it as complete as possible, although I most likely missed a few -- if you think of anything I can add to the list, please let me know. Some of these symptoms are more common than the other, but the majority are COMMON symptoms seen in anorexia. These symptoms can also result from crash-dieting. Starvation affects EVERY single part of your body. If you starve yourself, these things can and WILL happen to you. Many of these complications are, to varying degrees, permanent.
Psychiatric complications from anorexia and bulimia:
(Most of these can occur before or after the onset of anorexia.)
Depression; social anxiety/phobia; personality disorders; abuse (ED sufferers are at a higher risk for all types of abuse, including physical, emotional and sexual); suicidal thoughts and actions; low self-esteem; self harm; isolation; aggression; paranoia; psychosis; body dysmorphic disorder; self-hatred; difficultly in relationships; drug abuse and alcoholism; obsessive compulsive disorder; sexual dysfunction; need for psychiatric observation in a locked ward; fear of the opposite sex; lack of motivation to find work, go to school, etc.; anxiety; panic attacks; "forget" how to eat normally; obsessions; easily addicted; etc.
Medical complications from anorexia and bulimia:
Fatigue; dizziness; hair loss; motor skill impairment; lanugo (downy hair that grows all over the body after extreme fat loss, as a last ditch effort to keep warm); insomnia; sleep cycle impairment; tooth decay; tooth loss; increased susceptibility to infection; liver failure; kidney failure (extremely common, and often sets in early on during starvation), heart failure; heart attack; anal prolapse; muscle deterioration; ulcers; decreased or absent bowel function; loss of menstruation leading to: ovarian cysts, increased risk of ovarian or cervical cancer, hormonal imbalances, infertility, etc.; lack of calcium, leading to decreased bone density and eventually osteoporosis -- symptoms of which are pain, shrinkage of the spin and limbs, regular fractures in the bones; constantly feel cold; confusion; slowed metabolism; nail breakage or loss; inability to walk; bruising; difficultly clotting blood; difficulty healing from minimal injuries (cuts, scrapes, etc.); incontinence (inability to control one's bowels, leading to 'accidents' in public places); cardiac arrhythmias (abnormal heartbeat); diarrhea; exhaustion; impaired ability to regulate body temperature and sweat production, increasing the risks of hypothermia and over-heating; inability to control urination; bed sores; arthritis; various diseases of the colon, many of which are fatal and necessitate the removal of most of the colon; gallstones; kidney stones; frequent nausea; uncontrolled projectile vomiting after meals (not self-induced purging, stomach will no longer accept food); hepatic problems (liver); memory loss; perforation of the stomach due to purging; tearing your esophagus (throat); choking or inhaling vomit during purging; coma; brain damage due to coma, electrolyte imbalance, etc.; dry skin; slow heart rate; diabetes; irritable bowel syndrome; stunted growth; low blood sugar (causes confusion, dizziness, aggression, fainting or collapsing, seizures, coma and death); low iron/anemia; impotence in males; edema (swelling); increased risk of various cancers; vision loss/disturbances; fainting; collapsing; injury due to fainting/collapsing; hearing loss; circulation problems, and risk of losing limbs as a result (gangrene); acid reflux; indigestion; pulmonary (lungs) symptoms; HIGH risk of kidney and urinary track infections; blockage in the bowels; dehydration; over-hydration (water poisoning); high cholesterol; loss of sex drive; low blood pressure (risk of multi-organ failure, fainting, etc.); spinal shrinkage (hunchback); internal bleeding; digestive track failure; constipation; nerve deterioration; shrinkage of the brain; heart shrinkage; overdose on "regular" adult dose for medication, due to inability to metabolize drugs; and, of course....
Death.
Which is definitely permanent.
Ask yourself: Is being thin worth all of this? Will I be beautiful when my teeth are falling out, I'm crapping out my intestines, I can't walk more than a few feet without collapsing, I've covered in downy hair and bruises, I'm pale with dark circles under my eyes, and look like a living corpse?
Being skinny isn't worth your life. If you want to lose weight, talk to your doctor about healthy options. Don't starve yourself. It's not worth it.
Oh, and btw, I can see all of you pro-ana girls who are coming to my site, and I know which tags you're searching for. It lists 'em plain as day, right in my footprints. Since tagging my entries with "thinspo", "pro-ana" and "tips and tricks" seems to be drawing you guys in, I'm gonna keep doing it. You guys may be too chicken to leave a comment, but I know you've been here. Keep coming -- maybe you'll learn something.
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| | Posted 4/27/2008 5:57 AM - 199 Views - 18 eProps - 11 comments
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I think we should team up and attract all those wannabes to our site and then give them a dose of reality or whatever comes up in our mind!
I'm putting this on my blog with my own twist to describe the symptoms.****evil laugh**** lol
I'm going to be playing around with icons and pictures with captions and quotes on them that I collected when I was really sick, I feel like that's going to be a HUGE project for me and I'm looking forwards to doing it next week when I have off time at the institution. I knew there was a reason I collected them!
(((((((hugs)))))))
Have a great sunday!