Anorexia

            When does dieting become an obsession and when does an obsession become a disease? We must ask ourselves these questions when looking at adolescents suffering from this deadly disease known as anorexia nervosa. It can be described as a refusal to eat, a severely abnormal eating pattern, or self-starvation. A person with anorexia is called an anorexic. Statistics show that 95% of anorexics are women. Women are most prone to developing anorexia between the ages of 12 and 18. Looking at these statistics paints a scary picture for America. We live in a world that is influenced primarily by thin people. Young girls turn on the TV, or open up a magazine and see what they have been told is the perfect body. It can be concluded that because of this, anorexia's numbers have increased and one out of every 200 American girls will develop anorexia to some degree. .
             The most common symptoms are loss of weight and a change in behavior. The weight loss may become severe and sometimes even life threatening. Dancers, gymnasts, and models are most likely to develop anorexia. Anorexia starts with a diet. Dieting usually starts before or after a change and creates a feeling of control for an insecure individual. If this goes on long enough, the body will forget the feeling of hunger. An inappropriate diet usually becomes a daily routine. This includes skipping meals to cut calories, peculiar eating habits, such as organizing food on their plate or cutting it into little bites. Denial of hunger is a tool to keep thin often involving eating nothing for days. Exhausting exercise is added going far beyond that of normal exercise. The personality changes to increasing seriousness and seclusion with an increasing tendency to become obsessional. They will begin to lose contact with their friends. They also will regress and appear to lose confidence and may become less assertive, less argumentative and more dependent.