Anorexia

            Eating- most people do not give this a second thought. To many it comes, as naturally as breathing, but for others however eating is the source of a severe psychological disorder known as Anorexia Nervosa. I never thought about it much, until I have read a story about a girl, who became bulimic after she heard that she is too fat to become a model. It inspired me to choose Anorexia as my research topic. I decided to investigate what exactly this eating disorder is, who is likely to develop Anorexia, what are its consequences, and why do people feel they aren't good enough in the first place?.
             According to World Book Encyclopaedia Anorexia is a disease in which a person refuses to eat for psychological reasons. In fact Anorexia Nervosa is a serious and life-threatening eating disorder characterised by refusal to maintain a normal body weight. Other characteristics of Anorexia include an intense fear of gaining weight, a distorted body image, and absence of menstrual cycles. Information on the "ANRED" - (Anorexia Nervosa and related Eating disorders) site state that starvation, weight loss, and related medical complications are quite serious and can result in death. The term Anorexia literally means loss of appetite but this isn't entirely correct. People with Anorexia Nervosa suppress their hunger and thus control their desire to eat. .
             Causes of Anorexia are uncertain. That is why in an attempt to uncover the origins of eating disorders, scientists have studied the personalities, genetics and environments of people with these illnesses. They found that some certain personality traits common in persons with Anorexia Nervosa are low self-esteem, sexual or physical abuse and perfectionism. Research conducted by "ANRED" suggests that about 1% of female adolescence have Anorexia. This means that about one out of every one hundred young women between ten and twenty years of age are starving themselves.