Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder that usually strikes women. It starts in the teen years when the person feels they are overweight even if they are bone thin. It starts when the person gets a distorted body image of himself or herself. They begin to picture themselves as worthless because they feel they are fat even though they aren’t, and that being fat makes them less of a person. They feel that if they are thin, they will have it all. The trouble is when they reach a thinness level that is dangerous, they still feel they have a long way to go and just keep going.

They will then starve themselves until they are at near death and still feel they are too fat and that they will gain weight. Millions of women who have this eating disorder will die from the complications. Men suffer from it too but it’s not as common as it is with women. Karen Carpenter, the famous pop singer, died from heart failure as a result of anorexia. It was her death that made people become more aware of this deadly eating disorder.

Anorexia Nervosa is usually unnoticeable at first because it usually starts as an innocent diet but then slowly becomes a major obsession. The person will go from just measuring their food and cutting back to all out starvation. The person will go through tremendous pain to insure that they lose weight even if there is no real weight to lose. The person may complain about being fat when the person is actually underweight.

An anorexia patient will also be obsessed with food and cooking. They may collect recipes and cook large meals for friends and family but they themselves will not eat. They will seem to be full of energy almost to the point of being hyperactive even though they haven’t been eating enough food.

Treatment for anorexia nervosa isn’t easy. Most patients aren’t willing to cooperate. Most are brought in by family, friends, or a concerned professional. Most of them feel there is nothing wrong and will do whatever they can to remain as thin as possible. Most feel they need to lose weight because they think they are fat. If you know the person is in any danger to him or herself through starvation, immediate hospitalization should be considered.