Anorexia

            Anorexia is a disorder of self starvation where the person refuses to keep a.
             normal weight for the persons age and height. They have a big fear of.
             becoming fat even if they are underweight. The term anorexia means "loss.
             of appetite". Anorexic patients typically come from white, middle class.
             families. While trying to gain perfection and approval a person with.
             anorexia may begin to diet so that they can lose a few pounds. But the.
             dieting doesn't stop there and an obsession with weight is established. .
             Nobody knows what causes this but losing 5 or 10 pounds isn't enough. Its.
             common for the anorexic person to starve herself until she weights 50 or.
             60 pounds. When she is starving herself she will deny being hungry or.
             claim to be full after eating just a few bites. Most researchers agree that.
             the number of patients with anorexia is increasing and they say that 1 out.
             of every 200 American girls between the ages of 12 to 18 will develop.
             anorexia. Therapists find that people with anorexia have low self-esteem.
             and feel they can gain admiration by losing weight and becoming thin. .
             Most anorexic patients are female and about 6 percent are boys. .
             Sometimes the disorder is found in older women and in children as young.
             as 8 years old. Psychological symptoms of anorexia are social withdrawal,.
             obsessive-compulsiveness, and depression. They see themselves as bigger.
             than they really are and when they are asked what they think of their.
             weight(most of them weighing b/tween 70-80 lb.) they say they are "just.
             right" or "too fat". Some behavioral signs of anorexia are severe diets or.
             fasting, counting bites or cutting food into tiny pieces and then refusing to.
             eat it. Also fear of food and situations where food might be present,.
             dressing in layers of clothes to hide weight loss and over exercising. The.
             physiological signs are weight loss in a short period of time, paleness or.
             grayish tone of skin, lowering of body temperature, dizziness or fainting.