In the sixties Anorexia Nervosa was usually only found affecting teenage girls in the upper-middle class. “In more than 80 percent of cases studied the anorexic person was not the first born. They are usually the second or third child” (Levenkron 7). Today, this disease mostly affects females from their teens all the way through their sixties. “T

Another disorder, which goes along with anorexia nervosa, is obsessive compulsive disorder. “A person with this disorder experiences recurrent, often irrational thoughts or fears and feels compelled to perform certain behaviors over and over. Obsessions may include unwanted thoughts about inadvertently poisoning others or injuring a pedestrian while driving. Common compulsions include repetitive hand washing or such mental acts as repeated counting. People with this disorder often perform compulsions to reduce the anxiety produced by their obsessions. The obsessions and compulsions significantly interfere with their ability to function and may consume a great deal of time. Some evidence suggests that the psychological symptoms of anorexia nervosa, such as obsessive behavior, preoccupation with food, and depression, may actually be an effect of food deprivation” (Encarta). As the years go on, the issue of anorexia is increasing. Today, the world views the perfect person to be slim. Everywhere you look: billboards, magazines, and television, the average person you see is slender. When teenage girls, especially, see all the advertisements with slender girls, it makes them feel as if they won’t fit in. This is one of the major causes of anorexia. “They will strive to acquire that elusive, eternally youthful body beautiful. Women find themselves obsessively engaged with both their food and their bodies” (Orbach 23). This is in a sense, a way for them to transform their body image in order to fit the critical roles of American society.

Not only do people become anorexic because of the people in the media, but the media also teaches them how to do it. “The most common anorectic rituals are restricting caloric intake, not eating certain kinds of food, and extreme exercise habits” (Lager 8). These are all similar things that are found in women’s health magazines. Also, many magazines have true stories about a person who has survived anorexia. These stories often give, in great detail, how they hid their secret from other people and how they pretended to eat. For someone who is considering being anorexic this is a check list. If they follow all of the steps the people in the story did, they will become successful. “For people who are already anorexic, they would not recognize themselves in an article about anorexia, although they would be able to relate to the rituals because these rituals are often described as typical feminine practice in other articles in the same magazine” (Lager 8)

Considering all of the health risks a person can encounter from starvation, your body copes with semi-starvation and weight loss fairly well. When you are in a period of weight loss the body tries to conserve energy and therefore the inessential functions become gradually lost. “Your blood circulation diminishes and causes coldness of the hands and feet. It also causes parts of your body to become reddened” (Rowan 2). When this happens, it will cause a persons heart rate to slow and their blood pressure to drop. The more weight a person loses the greater the chance of them being a victim of a heart failure. The risks are mo

Some topics in this essay:
Disorders Association, Anorexia Nervosa, , Garfinkel Garner, anorexia nervosa, people anorexic, weight gain, five pounds, teenage girls, weight loss, disease affects, below 40 percent, billboards magazines, weight person, anorexia nervosa obsessive, feel world,