Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by significantly low body weight achieved through extreme dieting and food restriction. It stems from emotional factors like a need for perfectionism and control, and is influenced by genetics, family dynamics, culture, and society's emphasis on thinness. Physical effects include slow heart rate, bone loss, fainting, and infertility. Psychological impacts are distorted body image, depression, and obsessive thoughts about food and weight. Treatment involves psychotherapy, family therapy, medication, and addressing the underlying causes of low self-esteem and perfectionism.

1. AnorexiaNervosa

2. Defined An eating disorder where a normal-weight person diets and becomes significantly underweight, yet, still feeling fat, continues to starve. An emotional disorder that focuses on food, but it is actually an attempt to deal with perfectionism.

4. Weight loss achieved by vomiting, laxatives, or diureticsRestricting Weight loss achieved by restricting calories Following diets, fasting, and exercising to excess

5. Probable Causes Anorexia Nervosa patients tend to have Low self-evaluations Come from competitive, high-achieving, and protective families Set perfectionist standards Intensely concerned with how others perceive them Fear falling short of expectations Genetics Culture Idealize thinness Have poor body image Feel shame, depressed, and dissatisfied with their own bodies

6. Genetics The chances for identical twins sharing the disorder are greater than for fraternal twins When ancestors were faced with famine, those who denied starvation and became hyperactive may have been more likely to search for food.

7. Cultural Effect Learned restraint in cultures that idealize thinness Ultra-thin models Doctored photos in magazines, advertisements, and other forms of media Pressure to be thin “Thin-ideal”

8. Symptoms Dramatic weight loss Preoccupation with weight, food, calories, fat grams, and dieting Refusal to eat certain foods, or whole categories of food (e.g. no carbohydrates) Denial of hunger Excessive, rigid exercise regimen Withdrawal from usual friends and activities Weight loss and dieting become primary concerns in life. Constant excuses to avoid mealtimes Anxiety about gaining weight or being fat

9. Physical Effects Abnormally slow heart rate and low blood pressure Reduction of bone density or dry brittle bones Muscle loss and weakness Severe dehydration Fainting and fatigue Dry hair and skin, hair loss Downy hair covering the body Decreased fertility

10. Psychological and Behavioral Effects Distorted perception of self Preoccupation with food OCD Depression Forgetfulness Denial of issue

11. Effects

12. Statistics 1 in 200 American women suffer from anorexia About 10-15% of people with anorexia or bulimia are males Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness The mortality rate associated with anorexia nervosa is 12 times higher than the death rate of ALL causes of death for females 15 – 24 years old. Anorexia is the 3rd most common chronic illness among adolescents 95% of those who have eating disorders are between the ages of 12 and 25 Rates of minorities with eating disorders are similar to those of white women Only 1 in 10 people with eating disorders receive treatment Source: http://www.state.sc.us/dmh/anorexia/statistics.htm

13. Treatment Psychotherapy Family Therapy Medication- Anti depressants (Prozac), potassium or iron supplements Hypnosis Biofeedback Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

14. I hate never feeling beautiful. I hate what I see in the mirror. I want to be perfect.

15. My family keeps telling me to eat, but I’m doing fine. The days when I don’t eat anything at all, are the days when I feel like I accomplished something.

16. I want to look like them. These photos are my inspiration and my aspirations. Skinnies look good in everything.

17. The conversations I have every day seem to blend together. Every time someone asks if I want anything to eat, I always say one of my three favorite phrases. “I already ate.” “I had a big meal earlier.” Or simply, “No thanks, I’m not hungry.” But in reality, I haven’t eaten the entire day. Or I’ve only drunken my standard recipe of lemon juice, water, and cayenne pepper. And I always notice the questioning look on everyone’s faces after my reply. But, I’ve learned to ignore it.

18. I don’t want to eat. I don’t like eating. I find it revolting now. All those calories, fats, and hidden pounds lurking in everything. They are all just waiting until I become weak. So they can destroy me and all that I’ve accomplished.

19. Wanting to be thin consumes me. Every time someone looks at me I immediately think they are judging me. Actually, I know they are. Who wouldn’t? I’m ugly. The scale is my master and mistress. I can’t part from those numbers. The more the numbers go to the left, the happier I become. But that happiness is fleeting, all I want to do is lose more, more, more. I will never be content with myself until I’m perfect.

20. When I first started not eating, it was so that my boyfriend would love me more. I thought that he would find me to be the most beautiful girl in the world as long as I remained thin. I wanted him to not even strain a muscle when he gave me piggy back rides, or have to ever debate with his friends who had the hotter girlfriend. I wanted to be the best.

21. This is my life, and I will not change.