Taking a Closer Look at Anorexia Nervosa

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Anorexia Nervosa is an eating disorder. Those who have anorexia have immense trepidation about gaining weight. Thus they do everything within their power to achieve an extremely boney frame. Those with anorexia, loose more weight than is considered healthy for their age and height ("Anorexia Nervosa"). Anorexics severely limit their food intake, vomit intentionally, exercise excessively, and take laxatives to avoid weight gain (“Anorexia Nervosa – Causes”). About 24 million people (of all genders and ages) have some type of eating disorder (anorexia, bulimia and binge eating disorder) in the U.S. (“Eating Disorders 101”). Typically, 95% of anorexics are between the ages of 12 and 25 (“SAMHSA”). According to webmd.com, eating disorders are complex, thus it is difficult for experts to determine what causes them. However, someone is more prone to developing anorexia due to their personality traits (low-confidence and perfectionism), family’s history (genetics), and other social factors (cultural pressures and peer pressure). To further elaborate, people are more likely to develop anorexia if someone in their family has some type of eating disorder (anorexia or bulimia nervosa). Additionally, someone is at risk of developing the disorder if they are under immense pressure due to having to maintain their weight to fulfill the duties of their job (gymnastics, ballet, modeling, etc.). Moreover, if someone constantly tries to be perfect, never feels good enough and worries a lot, then these negative personality traits can also drive them to develop an eating disorder. Stressful life events (such as a divorce, moving to a new city or school etc.) can also be a contributing factor. According to an article on nlm.nih.gov, there are several ... ... middle of paper ... ...ederal poverty level. Finally, I recently came across a documentary (I can’t recall the title of the documentary) on anorexia nervosa, while I was channel surfing. Although, I only watched the documentary for a few seconds, the documentary sparked my interest in this subject. I initially wanted to research anorexia, so I can get a better understanding of how people can develop an eating disorder. I wanted to know what exactly triggers the disease and why people would go through great lengths to starve themselves. I only was aware of some basic information about the disease. However, I was unaware of the various types of health problems a person can develop, as a consequence of having an eating disorder. After extensively researching (the causes, symptoms, treatments, etc.) this disease, I believe that I am more knowledgeable on the subject of eating disorders now.

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