Anorexia nervosa is a mental illness about eating disorder. It often affects the youth. Patients want to lose weight and voluntarily take methods like fasting, vomiting inducing, laxatives and exercise. weight loss targets are so aggressive that they still think they are over-weighted but actually they are already significantly under-weighted. Their weight can be dangerously low. Anorexia nervosa is a mental illness with high mortality rate. The primary goal of treatment is to restore the body weight to safe range. If the patients are too weak, they should be hospitalized, even if involuntarily. For underweight patients, doctors can stimulate their appetite or use drugs to help digestion and nutrition absorption. Psychological drugs only play adjunctive role. Psychological counseling can help patients to correct their view on their body and restore normal eating habits.
How is Anorexia nervosa treated in practice?