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Overview for Dietary and Lifestyle or Treatment info
see links at bottom
This is an illness, characterised
by severe weight loss, due to voluntary starvation. It mainly affects
young, previously healthy girls, at puberty.
They often, but not always come from well-off or achievement-oriented
families. Many anorexics feel unable to live up to the high expectations
and demands put on them. In some there is a fear of adulthood and their
own sexuality. The media's association between slimness and attractiveness
and the increasingly early age of sexuality has heightened this pressure.
Apart from extreme weight loss, (skeleton-like appearance), under-nutrition
causes anaemia, low body temperature, cessation of menstruation and
soft, fine body hair growth. Biochemical changes occur which alter behaviour
significantly.
Anorexics claim they are fat and yet paradoxically take pride in their
ability to starve themselves. It becomes a form of strict discipline,
by which they have control over their lives, where previously they may
have felt they had none. They may even see others as weak for eating.
They are intensely preoccupied with food, going through ritualistic,
lengthy preparation of meals for their family, but often not eating
them themselves.
Many anorexics also take up a punishing schedule of solitary exercise
to push themselves even further.
Overview | Orthodox
Treatments | Dietary
and Lifestyle
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