Unfortunately, many people do not understand what anorexia nervosa is and how serious it can be. It is an eating disorder that can be life threatening and is seen in individuals who have a fear of gaining weight. These individuals often weigh more than 15% less than what they should weigh and do so by eating very little. Some anorexics will eat and then vomit to eliminate what they have eaten.
Anorexic individuals usually have low self-esteem, are depressed and have a very distorted image of their bodies. In other words, no matter how thin they are, in their minds they are fat. The disease usually begins either before or just after puberty. Young girls seem to be the ones who suffer the most from this illness, but it can and increasingly is affecting both sexes of all ages. It is believed that younger women suffer the most because society dictates that ‘thin is in,’ and the message can be found everywhere including magazines, movies, television, etc. They will do anything to be thin, and have no idea of the consequences involved when anorexia sets in.
The effects of anorexia are devastating and include damage to the heart and brain due to lack of nutrients. The longer the disease goes on, the more likely that a person’s pulse rate and blood pressure will drop dramatically causing irregular heart rhythms or heart failure. The bones lacking the proper nutrients tend to become brittle and often break, and many people reach a point where they actually starve to death. Anorexia nervosa has the highest mortality rate among psychiatric illnesses with a six percent death rate among its victims.
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The Link Between Anorexia and Bulimia
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Young women and men sometimes starve themselves. It doesn’t matter how thin they may be— in their internal mirror, they are fat. Or they may so afraid of gaining weight, yet so desperately hungry, that they eat and eat until they feel so guilty that...
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Male Anorexia
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It may come as a surprise to many, but the fact is that 5% of the total anorexics in America are men. It is mistakenly believed that this disorder is limited only to females, since the stereotypical male is skinny, but well built and powerful....
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Anorexia Statistics
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Different types of anorexia affect as many as 5% of all young women in the United States, and three times the percentage are women who have unhealthy attitudes and behaviors about food. Reports have indicated that in women who suffer from anorexia, the onset of...
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Eating Disorder Statistics
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People with an eating disorder eat in such a manner that compromises their physical health. The manner of eating may vary in ways: it may be excessive or very limited, or eating all the wrong foods. Among the known eating disorders, anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa...
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Teen Anorexia
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In a recent survey, teenagers in America were asked what they feared the most. The results were indeed quite shocking. Fear of gaining weight topped the list, beating other fears like cancer, the fear of losing parents or even death. This shows the kind of...
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Signs of Anorexia
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Anorexia is an eating disorder in which an individual has an unrealistic body image. Despite being thin, the individual often believes that she is overweight. In an effort to lose weight, an anorexic stops eating or eats very little. As such, the body becomes dangerously...
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Anorexia
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Anorexia is an eating disorder with psychological inflections. Anorexia usually affects young girls and women, with fewer incidences found in men. Anorexia begins at the onset of puberty in girls. Those suffering from anorexia starve themselves because they fear eating may make them fat. As...
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Information On Eating Disorders
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Psychologists qualify an eating disorder as something of a mental illness that affects a person’s eating habits in such a way that drastically disturbs the physical health of that person. An in-depth analysis by psychologists and psychiatrists list the types of eating disorders as Anorexia...
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Female Anorexia
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There is absolutely no doubt that a vast majority of anorexics are women. Most anorexic women are 10 to 20 years old, but middle-aged women also form a substantial part of the anorexic population. Interestingly, even women as old as 76 years have been found...
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Anorexia and Bulimia
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Anorexia and bulimia are two different sides of the same coin. While anorexia is often apparent, bulimia is secretive. While anorexics starve themselves for fear of putting on weight, bulimia patients indulge first in overeating, often in isolation, and then induce vomiting; they overuse diuretics...