Anorexia

Eating Disorders: Anorexia
understanding Anorexia
For people with anorexia, it really is true that one can never be too thin. Despite being dangerously underweight, anorexics see a fat person whenthey look in the mirror. What they don’t see is the tremendous physical and emotional damage that self-starvation inflicts, so they continue to diet, fast, purge, and over-exercise.
While people withanorexia often deny having a problem, the truth is that anorexia is a serious and potentially deadly eating disorder. Fortunately, recovery is possible. With proper treatment and support, you orsomeone you care about can break anorexia’s self-destructive pattern and regain your health and happiness.

There are two types of anorexia
-restricting type, weight loss is achieved by restrictingcalories. Restricting anorexics follow drastic diets, go on fasts, and exercise to excess.
-purging type, people get rid of calories they’ve consumed by vomiting or using laxatives and diuretics.*Anorexia is most common in adolescent girls and young women, with a typical age of onset between the ages of 13 and 20. But people of all ages¬—including men and children—can suffer from anorexia.The difference between dieting and anorexia
Eating disorders, including anorexia, often begin with normal dieting. A person may start dieting and exercising to get in shape, but as the pounds comeoff, a desire to lose even more weight is triggered. This cycle continues until the person almost completely stops eating.
Many factors influence this destructive progression from healthy dieting tofull-blown anorexia. For many anorexics, self-starvation is a way to feel in control. People with anorexia may feel powerless in their everyday lives, but they can control what they eat. Restrictingfood is a way to cope with painful feelings such as anger, shame, and self-loathing. Saying “no” to food, getting the best of hunger, and controlling the number on the scale make them feel strong...