Anorexia 10 Signs
If you think someone you know may be suffering from Anorexia, watch for these 10 signs or red flags. Watch for skipping meals, making excuses not to eat, eating only a few foods low in fat and calories, doing specific eating exercises such as cutting food in small pieces or spitting out food after it has been chewed, weighing food, cooking large meals for others but not eating it themselves, weighing themselves constantly, checking in the mirror frequently, wearing baggy or layered clothing to hide thinness, and constant complaining about being fat.
Anorexia can happen at any age and has been reported in a few who are less than ten years old, however it is rare. The majority of anorexic victims are between the ages of 10 and 20 years old. There are some who are older and even senior citizens have been diagnosed with anorexia. The average age of anorexia victims is 17. It is reported that over 8 million people have been diagnosed with anorexia and other eating disorders. About 1 million of them are males and the other 7 million are females. It is also reported that one in every six people diagnosed with anorexia are male. This may come as a surprise to some because most people think anorexia is mainly a female problem. One has to realize that males have a lot of stress and peer pressure too and this is one of the causes for anorexia. The boys want to participate in sports and in order to make the team they have to be in shape so they tend to exercise excessively in order to lose weight. The problem is that the victim continues to lose weight even after they have reached the average weight for their size. When one has anorexia, the anorexia controls them. It messes with the mind and when the victim looks in the mirror they see themselves as fat, even when they are underweight. By the time the victim realizes they actually have an eating disorder such as anorexia, there has been some major damage done to vital parts of the body. Anorexia damages every vital organ in the body and some of the damage may not be repaired.. The main parts that are damaged are the heart, liver, kidneys, lungs, and brain. If the condition is ignored it can cause death.
There is a lot of pressure on society today for people to be thin. Many young people feel that they have to be thin in order to succeed in life. They see skinny models, actresses, actors, athletes, and other celebrities and feel that they have to look like them too. They think they have to lose the weight fast and furious so they strain their bodies and damage them in order to get to that point. They do not realize the consequences until the damage has been done.
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