Eating disorders affect many people throughout the world. Unfortunately anorexia is on the up rise in our society. In the United States there are at least 8,000,000 victims. Upsettingly, six to eight percent of these cases die. A whopping 90% of anorexics are women, although the percentage of males with eating disorders is increasing. This topic is not to be taken lightly; people are starving themselves to "perfection".

Anorexia Nervosa as defined in The American College Dictionary is; a disorder usually occurring in teenage women, characterized by a fear

A young woman by the name of Christine died from anorexia nervosa at the age of twenty-two. She struggled with this disease for seven years. Her weight drastically dropped from 120 to 60 pounds. At times she was known to swallow up to 150 laxatives a day.

Society plays a major role in the development of this disease. Magazines and television place pressure on young women to be skinny. They strive to be "perfect" in society. Judy Sargent, a recovered anorexic comments on society's part in the number of people struggling with eating disorders: " I believe that the media has a profound impact on young girls/women (and increasingly men) in our culture. Young people in our society are socialized to believe that the emaciated (starved) bodies of models portrayed in magazines and on television are the 'American ideal'". An anorexic will avoid eating to the point of emaciation where the damage to his or her body is irreversible. Once the disease takes over they can no longer make realistic judgements on their body. They have distorted body images.

For many victims it is an issue of control. Anorexia Nervosa usually strikes those who have problems with friends or family. They blame themselves if they don't get perfect grades, or if other things in their life are not perfect. People with anorexia believe they would be happier and more successful if they were thin. They feel that controlling what they eat they compensate for other issues that are not in their hands. They feel a sense of accomplishment when they go without eating, and they loathe in guilt when they give in and eat. As a result of this guilt they will rely on laxatives and appetite suppressants.

Anorexia affects the body in

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Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)