Anorexia

            Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder that is characterized by individuals who starve themselves even after becoming dangerously thin, have an intense fear of becoming obese, and usually do not express a loss of appetite. This person would have a distorted view of their own body. They were probably not overweight to start out with; they just imagined that they were. They may have developed this eating disorder because of control, intense fear of negative evaluation, media/social influences, or "false mirror." This person would act in any way possible to resist gaining weight. They would basically deny their body of any nourishment whatsoever but hide the fact that they were doing so from anyone else. They would, however, not realize that what they were doing was harming them. If they even claimed to be doing anything at all, they would just say that they were dieting because they were fat. .
             If I had a friend that appeared to be anorexic, I would first try to show them just exactly what they were doing to their body and make them see how much irreparable damage they were doing. Though they truly might believe that they are overweight, I would try my best to convince them otherwise. The reason for their problem might be rooted in low self esteem. If there were a way to make them feel better about themselves, they might feel more able to change. I would try to make my own eating habits as healthy as possible in order to show them that one can eat well and not be obese. I would let them know how much I valued them as a person, regardless of their weight. Finally, I would definitely refer them to a therapist who could try to help them with the problem.