Anorexia is an eating disorder in which a person has an irrational fear of getting fat and therefore diets excessively to stay thin. They have an intense fear of weight gain, so they starve themselves, avoid high-calorie foods and exercise constantly (Vollstadt96). Many people with anorexia can also exhibit the practice of bulimia, which is ingesting large quantities of food and then voiding it through self-induced vomiting to remain thin (AnorexiaNP). This disorder mainly affects adolescent girls although it can affect both boys and girls of any age group. The girls are single minded in their determination to lose weight, and they believe they are fat even though they are very thin. The weight loss is slowly progressive and often starts with a perfectly normal weight reducing diet (IntroducingNP). After this has continued for several months the weight loss becomes extreme and noticeable (AnorexiaNP).

The cause of anorexia isn’t known, but people with anorexia may believe they would be happier or more successful if they were thin, or they want everything in their lives to be perfect (AnorexiaNP). A combination of psychological, environmental and physiological factors are associated with the development of this disorder. Researchers have found that part of the brain called the hypothalamus begins to work improperly after the onset of anorexia. This part of the brain controls activities such as the maintenance of water balance, regulation of body temperature, and secretion of endocrine glands and sugar and fat metabolism. Further studies are being performed to determine if anorexic patients have a biological predisposition to develop the illness (EatingNP). (read full text…)