Anorexia nervosa

Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by voluntary starvation and exercise stress. Anorexia nervosa is a complex disease, involving psychological, sociological and physiological components. A person who is suffering from anorexia is referred to as 'anorexic' or (less commonly) 'anorectic'. "Anorectic" is the noun form, where "anorexic" is the adjectival form. These two are often used incorrectly when applied. The term is frequently but incorrectly shortened to anorexia, which simply refers to the medical symptom of lost appetite.

Risk factors

While anorexia may occur in individuals across the demographic divides, it definitely appears to be far more prone to developing among those in certain groups, such as:

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• females (95% of anorexia nervosa sufferers are females)
• those of age 10 through 25
• athletes; especially swimmers, dancers, gymnasts, and wrestlers
• people who are active in dancing, modeling or gymnastics
• people of European racial descent
• students who are under heavy workloads
• those who have suffered traumatic events in their lifetime such as child abuse and sexual abuse ¹
• those positioned in the higher echelons of the socioeconomic scale
• the highly intelligent and/or high-achievers http://www.eatingdisorderscentre.co.uk/iedc2.htm
• perfectionists

Anorexia nervosa is typically stereotyped as being a disease of teenage females. However, in real-life, almost any individual can be a sufferer, as even children as young as three have been known to develop the disease. The most common times of onset are at puberty, and during times of transition such as moving from school to university. Males are at a greater risk of not recovering from the disease due to a reluctance to report symptoms.

Related Topics:
Teenage - Puberty - School - University

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The disease is believed to be far more common in some societies than others, especially those of Europe, the Americas and Australasia.

Related Topics:
Europe - The Americas - Australasia

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Though many do not realize it, younger children can also exhibit symptoms of anorexia nervosa. Children as young as five years may begin to diet, perhaps mimicking behaviour they see in their parents. (For example, if a mother is obsessed with her weight, her daughter may begin to weigh herself.) These young anorexics have a fear of becoming "fat" and refuse to eat, as in classic anorexia nervosa.

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