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The perception of beauty in today’s world is the main culprit
responsible for the prevalence of an illness, a mental illness to be
precise. Almost everyone wants to be slim, slimmer
than he or she already is. This is because only slim people are
considered good looking. And human nature being what it is, people crave
for approval, recognition and appreciation. When this craving
crosses a threshold it results in obsession aimed at getting
that appreciation.
One such common obsession manifests itself in the form of anorexia nervosa,
an eating disorder. People suffering from anorexia believe
themselves to be fat, even if they really are not fat, and go to
extreme lengths to keep off food. Driven by the fear of
putting on weight, they starve themselves to such an extent , that it affects their health
adversely. |
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Ironically, this disorder is prevalent in people
from high socio-economic backgrounds. People who are in professions
where physical attractiveness is of utmost importance often fall
prey to this disorder. Celebrities, those in the modeling profession and prominent public figures have been found to
be susceptible to this disease. Females more than males have been
found to be suffering from anorexia nervosa. It is, however,
believed that many cases of males suffering from this disease go
unreported. In fact, ninety per cent of the reported cases of
anorexia have been females and it is usually hits the age group from
mid teens to late teens.
The obsession with outward appearance claims the attention of
anorexics in such a manner that they become totally insensitive to
internal body needs like hunger pangs. They generally go on severe
restrictive diets and avoid certain types of food, which they
believe adds to body fat. To aid weight shedding, anorexics often
couple these severe diets with equally severe exercise regimens.
Another behavioral offshoot that has been noticed is that
anorexics, in trying to avoid food intake have food always on their
minds. They often go on food buying sprees and get involved in
elaborate food preparation for others. Another typical behavior is
when sitting down to eat, they eat very slowly using tactics like
taking small mouthfuls, chewing slowly and generally making their
food last longer. They often just discard the food without eating
it; this is sometimes is done on the sly, when they fear criticism.
An offshoot of anorexia nervosa is bulimia. Bulimia is a condition
in which the patient goes on food eating binges and then feeling
overly guilty for having eaten that food tries to get it out of his
or her system by induced vomiting or by using laxatives.
The medical symptoms that characterize anorexia nervosa are fatigue,
muscle weakness, hair loss, dry skin, brittle hair and in females, a
cessation of menstruation. Functional changes in the kidneys and
gastrointestinal tract also occur and the patient becomes prone to
osteoporosis, a condition wherein the bones weaken. The normal
functioning of the heart is also affected.
The treatment for this condition involves psychiatric counseling
coupled with treatment of the physiological offshoots of the
disease. For severe cases, nutrition is administered through
intravenous drips. Prevention of the occurrence of this disease
involves a total attitudinal change regarding the perception of an
attractive person. This in addition to the right amount of parental
attention and guidance during formative years regarding food and
essential nutrition, coupled with a healthy exercise regime can go a
long way in preventing susceptible teenagers from falling into the
trap of this disease. |
