Anorexia Nervosa

Anorexia nervosa is a psychiatric diagnosis or mental illness in which a person has an intense fear of gaining weight and have a distorted view about their weight and body shape. Anorexia sufferers, anorexics, either refuse to eat or eat in such small amounts that they become malnourished. Anorexics will use all kinds of methods to lose weight such as starvation, vomiting, purging, excessive dieting and strenuous exercise regimes. They believe themselves to be fat even though their weight is so low that their health or even lives are in danger.

Anorexics are obsessed with food, and they will go to extreme lengths to avoid gaining weight. Many are so focused on their outward appearance that they have little awareness of the internal sensations such as hunger or fullness.

Ironically, some anorexics become excellent cooks and will serve exquisite dinners that they themselves refuse to touch. They will take over food shopping or preparation for the family. At meals, they may cut their food into tiny pieces, eat very slowly, and dispose of food secretly. According to the book A Parent’s Guide to Anorexia and Bulimia, some anorexics “become obsessively neat and may demand that the entire family meet their unrealistically fastidious standards. No magazine or pair of slippers or coffee cup may be left out of place for a moment. They may become equally, or even more, obsessed with personal hygiene and appearance, spending hours in the bathroom with the door locked and refusing to allow others to come in to get ready for school or work.”