anorexia

Lack of desire to eat, or refusal to eat, especially the pathological condition of anorexia nervosa, most often found in adolescent girls and young women. Compulsive eating, or bulimia, distortions of body image, and depression often accompany anorexia.

The causes of anorexia nervosa are not known. It is characterized by severe self-imposed restriction of food intake. The consequent weight loss may lead, in women, to absence of menstruation. Anorexia nervosa is often associated with increased physical activity and symptoms of mental disorders. Suicidal tendencies may occur among those suffering from anorexia. Psychotherapy is an important part of the treatment.

In the USA, figures published in 2000 showed that up to 15% of girls have some kind of eating disorder, and that 1% were diagnosed with anorexia nervosa.

About 1 sufferer in 100 needs long-term treatment, and of these one-fifth die, half from starvation and half from suicide. Teenage pressures and family rivalries and hostilities may be contributive factors. The anorexic may be trying to attain an ‘ideal’ figure, or may be resisting natural maturing. In April 2001, Dutch researchers announced that they had identified a contributory genetic element in 11% of anorexics. The gene has also been linked to obesity. A survey of girls in a secondary school in Ghana, published in 2000, revealed that 1% of the girls scored highly on a test designed to diagnose anorexia. The results showed that anorexia is not only found in Western cultures.