There are no Medications for Anorexia Nervosa

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There are no Medications for Anorexia Nervosa

There are no Medications for Anorexia Nervosa

Jul.1, 2024

There are medications for other eating disorders like Bulimia.
Ground breaking research into the genetics of Anorexia Nervosa is unraveling the 100s of genetic markers predisposing people to the condition.
Eating Disorders Genetic Initiative (EDGI) is the largest global research study on the genetics of eating disorders.
Here are some interesting points from a podcast with Cynthia Bulik which can be found at Eating Disorders Podcasts
Anyone who has been touched by an Eating Disorder will be aware of the complexities involved. Or you may not and make comments like "why don't you just eat".
This article is about highlighting the difficulties in treating Eating Disorders and perhaps understanding why a comment like "why don't you just eat" is a complete misunderstanding of the situation.

Figure Skater

Surrounded by Eating Disorders

Cynthia discovered after being asked by a colleague to write a chapter [comparing sleep patterns in people with anorexia to people who had depression] that she had been surrounded by eating disorders all her life.

I was a figure skater and throughout my entire figure skating career, there were so many people who would just start losing weight and then they would sort of disappear from the skating rink and not be training anymore.

Cynthia Bulik

The power of vulnerability

And I always talk about the power of vulnerability and speaking up and speaking out because not only does that help you to get the support that you need, and then it can be really empowering but it also helps others to bring these disorders out of the shadows and to really bring them into the light which is ultimately going to help people to struggle less or less the period of time to you know, like we don't want people to be spending years and years and the grips of these things.

Millie Thomas

Come on Pancreas, please, can you just make some insulin?

Asking a sufferer of an eating disorder like Anorexia Nervosa "why don't you just eat" is according to Cythia Bulik akin to asking a Pancreas to "just make some more insulin" for a diabetes sufferer. This is a double standard. To someone who was biologically predisposed to Anorexia, that's not going to work.