Signs of Anorexia
Anorexia nervosa, often just referred to as anorexia, is a disorder caused by severe self-imposed dieting. This most commonly affects teenage girls, but anorexia can affect all ages, races, socio-economic backgrounds as well as both males and females.
Many anorexics are masterful liars. They will tell friends they are eating at home, and tell their parents or spouse they ate with their friends. Many become fabulous cooks, and will surround themselves with food, yet rarely eat more than a bite.
Symptoms of anorexia include:
- refusal to eat
- extreme and rapid weight loss
- excessive exercise
- loss of menstrual periods
- body image distortion
- preoccupation with food and/or cooking
- low self-esteem
- constantly cold (due to the lack of body fat)
- body hair over entire body (as the body grows hair to try and keep warm)
Because it is psychological, anorexics will refuse to admit they have a problem, and many can’t even admit it to themselves, because their body image has become so distorted they still see a fat person, when in fact they are extremely skinny.
