Psychiatrists yesterday warned that about 1 percent of people in Taiwan suffer from anorexia, and the number is increasing.
Chen Chia-chu (陳家駒), chief director of the department of psychiatry at Shu-tien Memorial Hospital in Taipei, said people with anorexia are often very persistent and stubborn.
Chen said they feel pressure about their body because of family or romantic relationships.
About 90 percent of people in Taiwan with anorexia are women aged between 10 and 30, Chen said, adding that physical and psychological changes in adolescence contribute to the risk of illness in teenage girls.
Chen cited one of his recent cases, a 17-year-old girl who had lost 40 percent of her body weight within six months, becoming easily irritated and being extremely strict about her own figure.
The girl had six months of in-patient therapy at the hospital and was discharged after her weight increased from 30kg to 42kg, he said.
Anorexia can have serious side effects, including osteoporosis, low blood pressure, a weak heart beat and hair loss, he said.
The mortality rate is 20 percent, Chen said, noting that anorexics usually die of organ failure or a compromised immune system.
In addition to offering cognitive therapy to anorexics to correct their perception of beauty, Chen said hormone treatment is also necessary because patients need hormones to produce protein helpful in building up body tissue.
Family therapy should also be provided to patients whose self-hatred stems from family problems, he said.
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