If you are a parent or a loved one of a child suffering from signs of anorexia, knowing the symptoms, health risks and treatment options could save your child's life. Anorexia is a serious psychological disorder that, if left untreated, can lead to death. According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, roughly 5% of young women suffer from an eating disorder and up to 15% of young women suffer from unhealthy attitudes and behaviors toward food.
Fashion Industry Focuses on "Thin"
In 1960 Twiggy, an English supermodel, came on the scene with a rail-thin, waiflike look that took the fashion world by storm. Within a decade, every woman was trying to be the same wafer-thin woman she saw on the cover of just about every magazine. By the time 1983 rolled around and Karen Carpenter died from a heart condition caused by anorexia, this eating disorder had already reached epidemic proportions.
Because we are a society based primarily on appearance, girls tend to become anorexic more often than boys. In the United States the age of 17 has been pinpointed as the age when a child is most likely to develop anorexia, although female patients as young as 11 and as old as 68 have been diagnosed in recent years.
The most disturbing fact about this disease is that is can be fatal. And once an individual has acquired anorexia, much like alcoholism, he or she must battle the disease for the remainder of his or her life.
Information Every Parent Should Know
If you think someone you know and care about has an eating disorder, it's time to address the situation. Eating disorders damage the inside of the body long before the damage is apparent on the outside. It is often years before an anorexic begins to see the warning signs of heart failure.
Some Signs to Watch for:
Fashion models in the 1940s were considered perfect at a size 12. Today's fashion models are expected to wear a size 2. The good news? That trend may be changing. Recently the fashion industry was nudged awake when one of Spain's most of prestigious fashion shows announced they would not allow models on the catwalk with a BMI (Body Mass Index) of less than 18%. Many models have BMIs of less than 18%. The reason: Madrid's government officials were concerned about setting a positive and healthy image of beauty for their teenagers, who tend to mirror what they see on the catwalk.
Anorexia can be fatal. The annual death rate for female patients with anorexia is 12 times higher than the death rate due to all other causes combined for females ages 15 to 24. Hundreds of individuals die each year from anorexia and complications.
 | Male anorexia may not be as common as it is in women, but it certainly happens and can be just as devastating. |
 | Social causes of anorexia are contributing to the disease and worsening its effects on teenagers. Unfortunately, anorexia has become an almost glamorous disorder to have, something which actresses and models seem to constantly be dealing with. |
The side effects of anorexia can be so severe that they shorten a person's life. Learn about the mental and physical dangers asssociated with this disease. |
Learning how to treat anorexia begins with an understanding that the disease is psychological in nature. Constant, loving support is required to break the mental barriers that keep anorexics from building a healthy relationship with food. |
Anorexia nervosa, commonly referred to simply as anorexia, is one type of eating disorder. More importantly, it is also a psychological disorder. Anorexia is a condition that goes beyond out-of-control dieting. |
