Anorexia is a condition that is characterized by decreased intakes of foods, in an attempt to lose extreme amounts of body weight. It is a complex mental health disorder, the person having this condition is afraid will get weight, and starts to starve to prevent that.



Persons with anorexia have a distorted body image, they think are overweight, even if the doctor tells them they are underweight. Anorexia is also called ?anorexia nervosa? and some people describe it as being a form of self-starvation.

There are some criteria that can help to diagnose anorexia. The person refuses to eat enough food to maintain a normal weight of the body, there appears the fear of becoming overweight. There also appears a disturbed body image and self evaluation concerning weight, and another symptom is the absence of menstrual cycles.

There are two different types of anorexia nervosa. The first type concerns people that are reducing the food intake, and this type usually appears because of excessive dieting, fasting and compulsive exercise.

The second type is referred to those that often engage in binge and purge behaviors, and beside this, they eat an appropriate amount of food, so, they cannot maintain a normal body weight.

Usually, 90% of those diagnosed with anorexia are females, especially the younger ones.

It is known that anorexia results because of many factors, most people with anorexia have emotional problems. It is possible that the start point of the disease to be associated with developmental crisis that occurs as girl's body's change during puberty.

The modern society presented the thin woman as being a model to follow, and so, it increased the incidence of anorexia among young women, because they wanted to be very thin.

It was seen that the persons with anorexia use this disease as a coping mechanism to gain control on the other aspects of their lives. They blame themselves for all the failures they experience, for the inability to maintain a perfect life.

People that have this disease require action and intervention to prevent permanent health risks; it is known that anorexia is not a lifestyle choice. Anorexic persons need our support, especially friends or members of their families must involve and take action, and try to convince them that starving is not a solution, because in fact they do not have a weight problem. It is important to remember that anorexia may result from many factors including cultural and interpersonal ones.