Anorexia Nervosa is a medical condition that happens due to eating disorder which leads the sufferer to a non-standard low body weight. Anorexia Nervosa which is normally called anorexia usually occurs to people of young age. The teenage girl generation is among top on the list of sufferers. Nowadays this is a common phenomenon to the teenage girl generation as these girls have intense fear of gaining weight and they are confused about insight of body weight. The purpose of this article is to clearly describe the term 'Anorexia Nervosa', identify symptoms and cause and finding way to prevent anorexia with regard to the teenage girls' circumstances. Anorexia Nervosa is a grave psychological illness, sometime it is life threatening. Physicians suggest that Anorexia Nervosa patients have not made a lifestyle rather they are really very unwell and require immediate assistance. According to medical explanation a person with Anorexia Nervosa will lose body weight less than 85% of what it is actually expected. Patients lose remarkable weight in a very short period of time and the sufferers become unable to uphold what is believed to be normal or healthy weight.
However, people with Anorexia Nervosa is horribly too thin, their psychological status makes them continue to lose their weight. This phenomenon is known as intense fear of body weight and finally study advises that when a person suffers from Anorexia Nervosa, then he/she becomes very conscious about how they look. They usually see themselves to be fat when they are considerably underweight. Cynthia M Bulik, Lauren Reba, Anna-Marie Siega-Riz, and Ted Reichborn-Kjennerud in their journal Anorexia Nervosa: Definition, Epidemiology, and Cycle of Risk (2005) stated "Anorexia Nervosa (AN) is a deeply perplexing illness that ravages both mind and body. AN is the visible eating disorder, universally associated with emaciation and commonly accompanied by marked increases in physical activity. Individuals with AN are unable to maintain a normal healthy body weight, often dropping well below 85% of their ideal weight. Youth who are still growing fail to make expected increases in weight (and often height)." However, the simple and universally understandable definition could be - Anorexia Nervosa refers to a mental status when people have intense fear of gaining weight, so they stop eating adequately and eventually become unwell. Experts have been arguing about the causes of Anorexia Nervosa since the disease was identified, however, most of them agreed that strict diet causes Anorexia Nervosa. Intense fear of gaining weight destroys the eating order. However the sufferer still feel hungry but they are so concentrated about their outlook they avoid eating even if they feel hungry. A booklet published by the Mental Health Foundation UK identified that people who have Anorexia Nervosa frequently have emotional needs which they don't get in their lives, sometimes they do not have a stable family and sometimes they may have troublemaking companions even they may think uncomfortable about sexual relationship. The booklet also identified "Some teenage girls are terrified of becoming women" so they become sufferer of this mental disease. Some other experts the combination of three causes which are social, mental and genetic leads a human being to suffer from Anorexia Nervosa.
NHS UK identified some major symptoms of Anorexia Nervosa, the primary symptom is that people with Anorexia Nervosa intentionally lose their weight. In an attempt to lose weight they eat very little, exercise excessively and avoid all types of diet food. The secondary symptom is self-esteem. Anorexia Nervosa sufferers become very conscious about their look, they think slimmer body will give them an attractive look. This usually happens to teenage girls. Some other symptoms are bloating or constipation, headaches, feeling lightheaded or dizzy, feeling very tired, feeling cold, discoloured hands and feet caused by poor circulation, ry skin, hair loss from the scalp, abdominal pain, problems in sleeping (National Health Service UK).
A statistic carried out by the ANAD US found that 91% teenage girls are afraid of losing weight. In the United States, girls are more concerned about their look rather than men. In the young age they do not care about their health but do care lots about their look. For several reasons they believe that slimmer look will give them an attractive look. Due to being small in age, these girls can't realize the danger of losing weight.
As Anorexia Nervosa is a mental disease, the main way of preventing it is to create massive awareness. As the majority of sufferers are teenagers, it is the responsibility of the family to take care about the eating routine of their teens. However, media like television, newspaper should contribute by broadcasting the possible danger of losing weight. Any sufferer should immediately be taken to the doctor's attention. By the joint endeavour of family, society, hospital, government and media, it is possible to keep the number of Anorexia Nervosa sufferers at a minimum level. From above critical analysis about the various issues of Anorexia Nervosa it is now clear that the most number of Anorexia Nervosa sufferers are teenage girls. To avoid more catastrophe in future the authorities concerned should take recommended measures before it is too late.
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