The History of Anorexia
Self-imposed starvation is an ancient disorder that dates back to medieval times. In Europe in the 13 century, woman saints fasted and refused to eat any food as part of some religious practice.
By the 1870’s the term anorexia nervosa, meaning loss of appetite due to some emotional reasons, had been used to describe the self-starvation found mainly in the upper class western European and American girls.
Anorexia Subtypes
There are two types of Anorexics. The first is the restricting type. The anorexic of this subtype losses weight simply by reducing he food intake by fasting or engaging in long periods of exercise as a means of working off calories. The second subtype is the binge eating type. She/he restricts their intake as well, but changes this behavior with bouts of binge eating and often purging. The purging can take the form of self-induced vomiting or the abuse of laxatives, diuretics, or enemas. Some anorexics of this type don’t binge but still purge after consuming even small amounts of food.
Common Triggers
Often anorexia nervosa is triggered by a stressful life event-leaving home for the first time to enter boarding school, summer camp, or college, being teased about one’s weight, breaking up with a boy or girl friend, not getting chosen for a sports team, or problems within the family, such as divorce. Other risk factors include affluent and well-educated parents, early feeding problems, low-self esteem, high neuroticism, an over protective mother, having a relative with anorexia or bulimia, especially a parent or sibling, and child hood sex.
What are the symptoms?
Almost every one attempts to lose some weight every once and a while especially teenagers, they are often anxious to be slim however normal dieting needs to be distinguished from anorexia in which a person who is already of average or low weight follows a weight loss for a prolonged period. Symptoms include:
Refusal to eat, particularly...