Anorexia nervosa and its symptoms?

Anorexia is an eating disorder where people starve themselves. Anorexia usually begins in young people around the onset of puberty. Individuals suffering from anorexia have extreme weight loss. Weight loss is usually 15% below the person's normal body weight. People suffering from anorexia are very skinny but are convinced that they are overweight. Weight loss is obtained by many ways. Some of the common techniques used are excessive exercise, intake of laxatives and not eating.

They fear becoming fat

Anorexics have an intense fear of becoming fat. Their dieting habits develop from this fear. Anorexia mainly affects adolescent girls.

People with anorexia continue to think they are overweight even after they become extremely thin, are very ill or near death. Often they will develop strange eating habits such as refusing to eat in front of other people. Sometimes the individuals will prepare big meals for others while refusing to eat any of it.

The disorder is thought to be most common among people of higher socioeconomic classes and people involved in activities where thinness is especially looked upon, such as dancing, theater, and distance running.

Mainly in adolescents

Anorexia is an eating disorder, which affects adolescents mostly - and usually females. The most obvious symptom is a loss of weight, which can be 10-15% of the normal weight. It should not be confused with bulimia, which makes people binge eat and then make sure they bring the meal up - vomit - so they will not get fat.

Also, sufferers from anorexia attempt to hide their state, and so they may start wearing baggy clothes.

Symptoms of Anorexia

Here are some common symptoms of anorexia nervosa:

• Anxiety

• Poor skin quality, which may seem brittle

• Loss of at least 3 consecutive menstrual periods

• Refusing to eat in a restaurant or other public place

• Loss of strength

• Lack of energy, and easily running out of breath

• An obsessive attitude to calorie consumption

In some cases, these symptoms may be very obvious. In others, the person will try to hide them from their family. The real difficulty with anorexic people is that they just cannot see that they are thin and wasting away. They look at any meal, however small, as if it is huge. Therefore, if you suspect that a member of your family is anorexic, watch carefully at meals, and do not let them eat alone in their room - on the pretext that they are watching TV or playing a video game. They may just throw the meal into the toilet.