ཐཫ De-Romanticizing Underweight ཐཫ
Here is a list of (almost) everything that can happen if you are underweight. I know that this won't cure anybody instantly, but you shouldn't forget these signs and symptoms that can make your life even worse, so here we go:
ཐཫ Consequences of Anorexia Nervosa ཀཋ
death: 10% die (mostly from heart failure and suicide), another 10% die from the effects a little later in life; it’s the mental illness with the highest mortality rate
your brain literally shrinking and eating itself to spare energy → you get dumber and forgetful
hair falling out, having patchy bald spots
having no energy, fatigue, feeling weak → not being able to do the things you love
depression (yes, caused by the consequences or even the action of starving itself), being emotionally unstable and irritable all the time, anxiety
lightheadedness and fainting, possibly hitting your head and dying or getting paralysed forever
bad skin, pimples, dryness etc.
in women: loss of menstruation (amenorrhea), chance of infertility for the rest of your life -> never having the chance of pregnancy
less flexibility and neuroplasticity → getting out becomes harder and harder
in men: problems with / losing your potency
hypotension, cardiac arrhythmias
muscle loss which is especially dangerous if it happens on organs like your heart
teeth cracking away or falling out from vomiting
from vomiting: ruptured oesophagus and acid reflux, scars on hands and pharynx and getting a puffy hamster-face because of your
dehydration, electrolyte imbalances and nutrientdeficiencies
always feeling cold, even in thousands of clothing layers
constant thoughts of food, ana taking over your whole life
feeling like a failure and undeserving of food
no self-esteem and self-worth
always thinking about achievements and failures and making your self-worth depending on it
body-dysmorphia, not being able to see yourself how you really look
having a very high or low (more common) heart rate
hypotension, cardiac arrhythmias
acrocyanosis, blue body parts and risk of dying limbs due to bad blood circulation (not to scare you, it’s not that common tbh)
the number on the scale influencing your whole day and mood
an endless vicious circle of binge + purge / binge + restrict
ocd symptoms or comorbidity
not being able to concentrate, failing in school, headaches
relationships to other people get destroyed, a lot of conflicts with everyone around you
getting stigmatized or not taken seriously
social isolation, loneliness
getting addicted to exercise, risking bad injuries
weak and compromised immune system, being sick like 24/7
osteopenia/osteoporosis which is very hard or even impossible to cure, basically your bones decaying and increasing the risk of breaking your bones
thin, short hair all over your body (lanugo-hair, look it up it’s like fur..)
if you’re young, your bodily growth can get limited because your puberty gets delayed or stopped
not being able to sit comfortably because your pelvic bones hurt so much
gastroparesis, paralysis of the stomach
not being able to stop restricting/b-p'ing even if you want to because it’s so addicting and the only thing giving your mind “peace” while you destroy yourself → completely losing the control you initially craved and that caused the disorder
becoming a liar and betraying your own morals, e.g. by throwing away perfectly fine food or lying to others, as I said
hating your body no matter how little you weigh and how much weight you lose
liver and kidney not functioning properly
anemia (lack of blood, here white or red blood cells)
less oestrogen and testosterone
hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar)
polyneuropathy (different nerve illnesses)
