Anorexia is an unfortunate consequence of the fact that modern standards of beauty suggest that thinness is beautiful and fatness is ugliness, and many tend to mock those who are fat and overweight. Many teenage girls, and not only, fear being fat so much that they intentionally starve themselves so they don't gain weight. This obsession gets further and the result is that the image that these girls have of their own bodies becomes distorted and they consider themselves fat no matter how much weight they lose. They become obsessed with not eating and being slimmer and slimmer, so eventually they end up with life-threatening complications or they can die of starvation if they are not saved.

In order to do something to help those who suffer from anorexia nervosa you must learn how to recognize them based on the ilness' signs and symptoms. It is up to you to help those with anorexia nervosa because they are not aware of their condition since their image of their own bodies is distorted. If you see that one of your friends or family members has the anorexia symptoms you should consult a doctor to learn what you can do to treat him/her. If you tell them they have anorexia they will not admit it.

Here are the most common symptoms of anorexia nervosa. Based on these you should be able to spot the people who are suffering from it:

-those with anorexia have an intense fear of gaining weight

-they become very thin in short time

-they like to withdraw from society because they consider themselves rejected. They always think that they are fat, and therefore rejected by society. They do not enjoy interacting with other people

-they get upset easily

-they are weakened and fatigued all the time, and they are not able to concentrate and pay attention

-some of them force themselves to throw up after a meal to prevent any weight gain from eating

-they exercise a lot, keep a strict diet and talk about weight loss all the time

-when you invite them to eat something they always say that they are not hungry or that they just ate

-no matter how slim they are they consider themselves fat

If those with anorexia aren't helped soon their body will be seriously affected by the lack of nutritional substances. All the parts of the body will suffer. The hair can get thinner, the heart rate will be slowed down which leads to low blood pressure and heart failure in time, all the muscles will get weakened, the period stops (men loose their potency), the bones become very fragile, and many more can happen.

It depends on you to aid those with anorexia. If you suspect that someone you know is anorexic, contact a medic and ask for help. Don't ask them to visit a medic because they do not admit that there is something wrong with them. The hardest part of the treatment is to make them see that they have a problem.