Anorexia: The Skinny Disease

Anorexia Nervosa is a serious illness that could affect anyone. Anorexia nervosa is an emotional disorder characterized by an obsessive desire to lose weight by refusing to eat. They suffer from a psychiatric disorder, or mental illness. Patients struggling with anorexia use starvation diets to lose large amounts of weight. Anoretics use their body shape as a form of self evaluation. Anorexia affects females more commonly than males; ninety percent of those affected are female, but the numbers are growing (Gulli 1). Many people struggling with this illness have a distorted body image, constantly feeling fat even after losing weight. The physiological and cultural causes of anorexia nervosa result in both physical and mental pain.

Anorexia nervosa is a mental illness that has many physiological causes. People who have trouble communicating their problems and have difficulty resolving problems are more likely to become anorexic. Patients are often perfectionists with low self esteem. They have high expectations for themselves and want to please everyone around them. Anoretics have an intense fear of gaining weight and tend to misperceive their body shape, believing they are bigger than they really are (Coelho 1). Weight gain is a sign of weakness or failure in the patient’s eyes. Anorectics often have high anxiety levels and feelings of depression. This illness may also be caused by a person’s fear of growing up and adulthood, thinking they are able to remain a child forever if they become anorexic (Berman 1). Also, some people become anorexic because they want to remain weak and passive with the belief that men will find this attractive. Anorexia can also be caused by stressful life events and experiences, such as physical or s...

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