Anorexia nervosa: Disease process, challenges and hope

Abstract

Anorexia nervosa, as a psychiatric disorder with a progressively high prevalence, is characterized by the following features: high mortality rate, serious harm, long-lasting effects, difficult to cure and easy to relapse. In recent years, Awareness of anorexia nervosa is different than in the past, going deeper: it is a complex disorder involving multiple systems. Many disciplines are also actively exploring it. However, there are still problems such as Pathologic mechanism unclear, no clear indicators of disease, no targeted drugs, and insufficient public awareness. This article analyses research in the fields of social environment, immunology and brain science in the order of disease onset, evolution and treatment (including difficulties in the treatment process, such as in Refeeding syndrome), and puts forward some recommendations for earlier intervention, comprehensive treatment, and optimization and maintenance of therapeutic efficacy in anorexia nervosa. It is also hoped that public awareness and attention will be raised. There are still many gaps in the road to overcoming anorexia nervosa, which has a large research space and is also not less challenging. Future research could focus on finding objective indicators for diagnosing anorexia nervosa or suggesting recovery, and finding targeted drugs from the perspective of multi-system interactions.