Anorexia Nervous
Anorexia Nervous or Anorexia Nervosa is an eating disorder in which there are over 8 million people suffering from today. There are many more people with anorexia today than in the past and it is believed that the main cause is the media and others stressing the need to be thin. Overweight and obesity can cause health problems and some can be very serious, but it is the same with people who have eating disorders and are anorexic because they have lost too much weight. There is a lot of strain on the body which is either overweight or underweight and it can cause damage to the organs of the body. Anorexia can cause damage to every organ in the body and even death if not treated as soon as possible. There are some (like Karen Carpenter) who got treatment and thought they were getting better and were past the dangers but their body had been damaged so much the individual died anyway. In the case of Karen Carpenter, the heart just could not take the strain it had put on it so she died of heart failure. Karen was a well known singer in the 70's and 80's but she had a desire to stay thin from the time she was in her teens.
For some reason eating disorders affect the brain and the victim see themselves as fat even they have become underweight. They view themselves in the mirror and to them, they are still fat. Anorexia is a emotional and physical problem. There is a need to be thin and it is caused by several factors according to reports. It is a biological, psychological, and socioculture problem. Some people may be vulnerable through genetics. They may have a family member who also has an eating disorder. It is also thought that the chemical seratonin may play a part in it. People with anorexia may have a low self esteem and no not feel good about themselves. They feel like something is wrong with them so they do not ‘fit in’ with the crowd. The western culture has also made people believe that ‘thin is in’ and they show skinny models, actors and actresses and it is stressed that you have to look like that to be somebody.
Some of the symptoms of anorexia or other eating disorder is loss of too much weight, complaining about being fat (when they are not), eating small amounts of food, cutting food into small pieces, spitting out food after they chew it, checking in the mirror for flaws often, wearing baggy clothes or layers to hide the weight loss, dizziness, fainting, constantly weighing themselves, fatigue, constipation, excessive exercise, lack of emotion, trouble concentrating, dehydration, low blood pressure, osteoporosis, and more.
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