The skinnier the prettier

(Anorexia nervosa)

The slender skinny look called for by stylists on top models in fashion shows and the pattern of behaviour they suggest is one of the main causes of the spreading of what has been called “the disease of the 3^rd millennium”: anorexia and bulimia.

It is estimated that the number of teenagers affected by anorexia in the US is about 1.5 million official cases, but it is on the rise, namely magazines, books and newspapers deal with the subject more and more frequently and with alarming notes.

Anorexia and bulimia are two sides of the same coin: the refusal of food. While anorectics hardly touch food and are obsessed by the calories deriving from it, bulimics get stuffed with it and induce vomiting immediately after.

The first symptom is a gradual refusal of food, considered as a disgusting stuff or, by contrast, a voracious appetite and an exaggerated intake of food, followed by self-induced vomit.

As a consequence, a heavy loss of weight takes place (an anorectic girl 1.70 tall may weigh 25-30 kilos). In female subjects another symptom is the stop of the menstrual cycle.

Anorectics have a hyperactive physical activity: they over exercise for hours, do heavy sports like body-building or weight-lifting until complete physical exhaustion. They never have a rest: they aim at burning as many calories as possible (that’s why they eliminate sugar and carbohydrates from their diet). As long as they have an ounce of flesh under their skin, they consider themselves overweight, in spite of their ghostly appearance.

If not properly treated the disease may be fatal, since it badly damages inner organs such as liver, heart and kidneys. However the most destructive effect is on one’s mind.

Anorexia is first of all a mental disease which should be treated by psychologists as well as doctors. Psychological treatment should be extended to the anorectic’s parents, too, since its origin is deeply rooted in family relationships.

Imitating and being conditioned by fashion is only one aspect which hides a more profound malaise, something going wrong with what should give you protection and love: one parent or both of them.

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Anorexia is referred to as…

· A mental as well as a physical disease

· The disease of well-off countries

· A nutritional disease affecting mostly teenage girls.

Anorexia can be caused by…

· Family problems

· Wrong attitude towards one’s body

· Lack of self-acceptance

· Will of self-punishment

· Wish to look like a model

· Lack of self-esteem/self-confidence

· The feeling of not being accepted by ones’ parents

· The feeling of not being loved by anyone

· Having been sexually abused

Anorexia can…

· Badly damage inner organs (liver, heart, kidneys)

· Create mental disorder (inner frenzy; obsession; a split in personality which may lead to schizophrenia; isolation)

· Be fatal

Symptoms:

· Heavy loss of weight

· Absence of menstrual cycle

· Ghostly appearance, skinny faces

· Dark circles under the eyes

· Growth of fine body hairs

· Dry skin

· Difficulty in falling asleep or oversleeping

· Hypothermia (the body cannot maintain heat)

· Strange, moody behaviour and personality changes (from an outgoing one to a withdrawn one)

· Excessive depression or irritability

Personality:

· Intelligent

· Demanding

· Deceptive (tell lies)

Behaviour:

· Denying that there is a problem

· Throwing food away secretly

· Not socializing

· Getting stuffed with food and then self-induce vomiting

· Being obsessed by weight

· Hyperactivity of brain and body (restless motion, over exercising)

· Refusal to see a physician

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KEYWORDS:

To fast

To starve

Malnourishment

Misuse of laxatives or diuretics

Self-abusive behaviour

To be underweight

Cultural imperative

Pressure

Slimness