Signs of Anorexia: What Every Parent Should Know

By: Helen Polaski

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

  • Males are not immune. Though more females than males succumb to this disease, the numbers for males is rising.
  • Anorexia is not bulimia. The biggest difference between anorexia and bulimia, another eating disorder where the patient vomits their food, is that bulimics usually maintain a healthy weight while anorexics lose weight.
  • Watch your child's surfing habits. In the past five years many pro-anorexia sites have popped up on the Internet. Be aware of what sites your child is visiting.
  • Listen for clues. "Ana" and "Mia" are code names for anorexia and bulimia, not the names of your child's school chums. "Thinspiration" is a new word that promotes rail-thin bodies and is associated with pro-anorexia Web sites.

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:

  • Depression, withdrawal, lack of confidence
  • Excessive exercise
  • Extended work hours
  • New friends or lack of friends
  • Extended sleeping patterns (often sleeping through meals with the excuse that she will eat later)
  • Dicing food into bite-size pieces (gives the impression of more food on the plate when it is in fact less)
  • Wearing a red or purple beaded bracelet-red stands for anorexia, purple for bulimia
  • Online journals, Web sites and message boards that display pictures of extremely thin or extremely heavy women (these pictures are used as inspiration on pro-anorexia sites)
  • Message boards where pro-anorexia individuals gather to share stories and tips on how to not eat without being caught

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.

Related Life123 Articles
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.
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