Malnutrition and starvation increase the risk of bone loss, infertility, and early onset osteoporosis. Starvation is stressful for the body, increasing the rates of kidney failure, heart failure, and respiratory infections. As the disorder progresses, the psychological consequences become evident. She experiences difficulty concentrating, loses interest in school, and focuses more heavily on exercise and dieting. These psychological consequences of anorexia nervosa may be partially rooted in the physical changes that the brain undergoes with starvation.
Brain scans show that the brain undergoes structural changes and actually shrinks with starvation.
Anorexia nervosa is a complex disorder with multiple causes. Sociocultural factors that contribute towards anorexia nervosa include media portrayals of weight and our cultural values about women's appearance. Television programs and magazine are filled with images of skeletal women. The family system may also contribute towards developing anorexia nervosa. In a teenaged girls, self-starvation may be a way to assert autonomy in an overly controlling family system.