What is Anorexia Nervosa
Many people may not know what anorexia nervosa is because there is not enough publicity to show people how to detect it and what to do about it. There are many more people suffering from anorexia than there were in the past. There are over 8 million people who are anorexic. About 7 million of them are women (or girls) and the other million are men (or boys). Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder which is very popular in the western countries because that is where the idea of being thin is stressed the most. Many people become anorexic because they think they have to lose weight to achieve their goal in life. They feel like they need to lose weight to ‘belong’ in society and to feel good about themselves. It is a mental thing brought on by peer pressure and the media. Every day you see magazines and television filled with ‘skinny’ models and movie stars. The public feels that they need to be thin too. People need to learn how to like themselves no matter how they look or how much they weigh. It needs to be stress at a very young age that it is not what is on the outside that matters, it is what is on the inside. It is how you treat others and expect others to treat you. The average age of people who are anorexic is 17. Most of the people with anorexia are between the ages of 10 and 20. There are some that are younger than 10, but it is rare ,and there are also some that are older than 20. Weight loss is such a common subject today that some feel that it is a top priority in their life. Liking yourself and being satisfied with yourself as you are is also important to build your self esteem. Those with anorexia usually have a very low self esteem that they feel they are worthless.
It is very important to seek help for those who are suspected to be anorexic or have other eating disorders. The disease can cause many serious health issues and damage all organs in the body if it is ignored. Some of the damage to the body can not be repaired and the doctor needs to diagnose the disease, after running some tests, before they can begin treatment. The sooner it is diagnosed the better the chances it can be treated successfully. If you suspect that a friend or family member has an eating disorder, you should try to get them to see a doctor as soon as possible. There are some other health problems that have some of the same symptoms so the doctor should diagnose it and get treatment started.
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