| Anorexia is considered to be a serious illness that can | | | | Persons with anorexia isolate themselves from the |
| even lead to death. Anorexia symptoms should be | | | | world, fearing that they won't be understood by other |
| identified quickly in order to stop it from causing further | | | | people. Although they usually refuse any kind of social |
| damage to affected persons. Anorexia symptoms are | | | | interaction, deep inside they long for acceptance and |
| usually easy to notice, as the disorder causes both | | | | guidance. Anorexics experience considerable drops of |
| physical and psychical changes. Once anorexia | | | | self-esteem and self-respect and develop feelings of |
| symptoms are confirmed, the patient needs to follow | | | | unworthiness. They often complain about their physical |
| an appropriate treatment, involving therapy and a | | | | appearance, always considering themselves to be fat. |
| period of physical recovery. | | | | Women and girls who suffer from anorexia |
| The most important anorexia symptoms are dramatic | | | | experience hormonal imbalances. Due to the lack of |
| changes in physical appearance caused by | | | | vital nutrients, their bodies produce less estrogen than |
| inappropriate eating (usually people who suffer from | | | | usual, causing irregular menstruation. Sometimes |
| anorexia have a lower body weight than the average), | | | | menstrual periods even stop completely in the case of |
| obsession with body weight, calories, food and | | | | female anorexics that indulge in abstinence from food. |
| exercise, the refuse of eating normal amounts of food, | | | | Anorexia also affects the fertility of women and girls, |
| irregular meals, attempts of replacing food with coffee, | | | | reducing their chances of remaining pregnant. |
| caffeine-based beverages and diet pills, unusual eating | | | | Hormonal imbalances also cause bone deterioration, |
| habits and rituals (playing with food, avoiding to swallow | | | | leading to osteoporosis. Women and girls with anorexia |
| food or throwing it away). | | | | have weak bones, teeth problems and fragile |
| People with anorexia have a strong will and keep | | | | fingernails. |
| drastic diets in order to lose weight. Some of them eat | | | | Other anorexia symptoms are low blood pressure, |
| less food than their bodies require and often even | | | | irregular heart activity, low body temperature due to |
| refuse to eat at all. There are moments when | | | | bad circulation of the blood, muscular rigidity and |
| anorexics eat large quantities of food during a single | | | | abdominal cramps. |
| meal, only to later purge it out of their system by | | | | People who suffer from anorexia or other eating |
| vomiting or using laxatives and diuretics. | | | | disorders expose themselves to a lot of dangers. |
| An interesting aspect in the behavior of people with | | | | Inappropriate eating and exhausting physical exercises |
| anorexia is the distorted perception of their own | | | | seriously weaken the immune system of persons with |
| bodies. Even if they are actually underweight, | | | | anorexia, making them vulnerable to many diseases. It |
| anorexics still consider themselves to be fat. Also, they | | | | is very important to spot the signs of anorexia before |
| are never content with how much weight they lose, | | | | it is too late. Although anorexics deny having a |
| always trying to become thinner. | | | | problem, they should be aware of the dangers they |
| Anorexia symptoms include dizziness, lack of | | | | expose themselves to and they should be provided |
| concentration, migraines, irritability, anxiety, fatigue, | | | | with advice, help and support in order to overcome |
| insomnia, nightmares, depression and loneliness. | | | | their illness. |