ANO.REX.I.A   NER.VOS.A

 

Anorexic people are noticably thin. They are no longer "at one" with their bodies, but rely completely on their heads, which control and give orders. The body has become their enemy, something that is greedy and needy, and which must be fought against. The control gained through this gives them the feeling of being in independent and knowing what is right and what is wrong for them.

 

People concerned usually love cooking for others, but rarely eat what they have cooked, or pretend to eat it, when they are really spiting their food back into their napkins without anybody noticing.

 

Anorexic people usually come from �when observed superficially- harmonious-seeming families, and due to an over-protected atmosphere, never had the chance to test themselves and discover and develop their personal identities. Eating disorders can be a form of revenge towards a too-tight atmosphere at home; the only thing they feel they can control is their body. A typical familiar relationship would be: the mother and daughter co-exsist as though they cannot live without each other, while the father is emotionally "away" (unreachable).

 

These people isolate themselves as the illness progresses.

 

Nobody is good enough for them. They begin to adapt a "it's all either black or white" way or thinking, and become depressive, which makes them harder to communicate with.

 

Exaggerated financial savings and keeping clean, as well as refusing any form of "fun" activities...

 

 

Friends and family should act quickly when the following characteristics begin to change the anorexic person:

 

- apathy towards everything

- speaking in a low, soft voice

- are physically weak

- cry as a reaction towards the slightest conflict

 

These are Alarm Signs, and the first step would be to consult a doctor.

 

BUT: Not all noticably thin people are anorexic!

 

 

 

DIAG.NO.SIS

 

- Weight loss of 20% during a short while (3-4 months)

- Weight loss is self-inflicted through:           

            -strictly controlled eating

            -avoiding of high calories

            -hyper physical activity

            -self-inflicted throwing up

- constant thinking about food and body figure, usually in the never-ending form of a vicious circle

- perfectionism

- hyeractivity

- body-structure-vision distorted; the person sees him/herself as "fat", despite great under-weight

- extreme fear of gaining weight

- ignoring health and disease-possibilities

 

 

 

The Body Suffers

 

The pulse slows down, the body temperature sinks, tiredness, freezing, blocked nose. Dry skin, hair with split-ends show the hormone-changes, which also includes the lack of menstruation (girls), and in extreme cases, a change in the body hair.