Eating disorders are a group of disorders known for disturbance in food intake. They have different contributing factors that include emotional, cultural, and biological issues. The most common eating disorders are anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa.
In Latin, anorexia nervosa means "nervous want of appetite-. People with anorexia starve themselves by eating far too little food. Eventually they become dangerously thin -- yet they still see themselves as fat. People with this eating disorder may become so undernourished that they have to be hospitalized.
A person with anorexia becomes obsessed about food and weight. Some people develop strange eating rituals and may refuse to eat in front of other people. Many people with anorexia seem to care a lot about food. They may collect cookbooks and prepare sumptuous meals for their friends and families -- but they don't join in. Often the refusal to eat is paired with strict exercise routines. .
Nobody knows why a particular person becomes anorexic. It is a psychological problem that has intense physical effects, including death. People with anorexia come to believe that their lives would be better if only they were thinner. These people tend to be perfectionists. The typical anorexic person is a good student involved in school and community activities. Many experts think that anorexia is part of an unconscious attempt to come to terms with unresolved conflicts or painful childhood experiences. .
Anorexia has many side effects. These include: .
Significant weight loss .
Fear of becoming fat, even when obviously too thin. .
Excessive dieting and exercising .
Abnormal food preoccupations, such as counting all calories or obsessively studying cookbooks .
Constipation .
Dry, sallow skin .
Fine, downy hair may grow on the face and arms .
Menstrual periods stop .
Mood swings .
Suppression of sexual desire .
Hands and feet cold at normal room temperature .
Chronic insomnia .