Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by an obsessive fear of gaining weight and refusal to maintain a healthy body weight. It is caused by a combination of genetic, psychological, and social factors. Physical symptoms include being seriously underweight, depression, fatigue, and mood swings. Anorexia affects about 1% of people and is most common in teenage white women. It is diagnosed by physicians and treated through psychotherapy and nutrition management, though it can be a very painful and potentially fatal condition if not addressed.

1. Anorexia Nervosa

2. What is anorexia nervosa? A.K.A. Anorexia An eating disorder characterized by refusal to maintain a healthy body weight and an obsessive fear of gaining weight

3. What can cause Anorexia? Anorexia is a mental illness, not a biological one social pressures to be skinny gender roles and gender typing a traumatic experience (e.g. uncle raping you)

4. Major Symptom The person will become seriously under weight This is caused through the starvation of ones self

5. Other symptoms Depression Social withdrawal Irritable Mood swings Fatigue Unusual diet

6. How many people are diagnosed? 1,000 people die a year in the USA 5 million are diagnosed in the USA 1 in 100 people suffer from it 70 million people world wide are diagnosed

7. Who does it effect? Mostly teenage white women Who ever can be influenced by social pressures Anybody

8. How do you get diagnosed? Only a doctor or psychiatrist officially can diagnose anorexia There are no official tests to diagnose the disease but a doctor can tell be checking blood levels for proper nutrition and by observing body weight

9. Is anorexia painful? It is very painful The person who is diagnosed is dyeing slowly from starvation It is a very painful way to die and often kills the person early in life

10. How do you treat anorexia? With Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Other types of psychotherapy will work as well One has to first cure the mental illness then the physical symptoms with better nutrition and taking care of ones body

11. My life with anorexia Every day I go to the gym for hours at a time to look good. I don’t like the person I am when I look in the mirror.

12. My schedule 3:30 AM: GET UP. GO TO GYM. RUN 6.50 MILES. BURN 600 CALORIES 4:30 AM: DO 800 SIT-UPS. DO UPPER / LOWER BODY STRENGTH TRAINING. 5:30 AM: GO HOME. TAKE A SHOWER. TAKE A NAP. 7:30 AM: WAKE UP. STUDY. DRIVE TO SCHOOL. ATTEND CLASS. DRIVE HOME. 4:00- 9:00 PM: EAT A LITTLE. STUDY A LOT. EAT A LITTLE. STUDY A LOT. 9:30 PM: TAKE A BATH. GO TO BED. This is my story five days a week

13. With my disorder I worry most about school. I have to wear baggy clothes everyday to hide how skinny I am. I don’t want the other kids to judge me like my father did…

14. When I was 12 my family used to tell me how chubby I was, especially my father. He would always pressure me to play sports and stay healthy because he thought I was going to be obese. When he was killed by a gang member in an ally 2 years ago I decided become what my father wanted most, skinny…

15. The death of my father has caused me to fight to become skinnier every day. I try to hide it at school but its hard. In gym I have to wear sweatpants and a jacket to hide my arms and legs…

16. It is a hard life in the class room. My work out schedule and lack of food is causing extreme fatigue. I try to squeeze in naps during lunch but they do very little. My grades are starting to suffer because I cant stay awake. I am finding my self becoming more and more irritable everyday. I have been on the verge of fighting 3 different times this week…

17. During every class period I leave to go to the bathroom. In the bathroom I observe my self in the mirror. I have this voice in my head that keeps telling me that I am fat or that I'm never going to amount to anything because of how I look. I will never be satisfied with my body…

18. I approached my doctor last week to talk about my disorder with him. He thinks that I need to try to fight it and that I need to keep reassuring my self that I am beautiful the way I am. Prom is next week and I am not going because I don’t want to embarrass my self…

19. I fear my anorexia is getting worse because summer is coming up soon and I want to look good in a bathing suit. I believe that in my quest to look good in a bathing suit that I will be pressured to loose more weight. I know this is bad for me because I am starting to feel sick and weak. I need therapy…

20. Life with anorexia is very hard. I have no more friends because I am afraid of my body. I have to eat lunch in the bathroom because of how ashamed I am. I will never be a normal girl again, no more boys, dances, friends, or even happiness. I used to be happy and fun loving, always joking around, I don’t even know who I am anymore. I am trapped with this disorder, but I will have to make the best of it…