Anorexia

Michael Mertz

English 101

Ms. Williams

March 22, 2012

Thin Is In

Thin appears everywhere. Whether seen in magazines, on billboards, in commercials, or starring in their own shows; everyone in the media is thin, extremely thin. So it is no wonder that the pressure in young girls and older women alike is to emulate what is seen. The number of people with eating disorders is alarming. Anorexia has the highest mortality rate of any mental illness (Emery & Shepphird). The fact that ten to fifteen percent of Americans suffer from some type of serious eating disorder is disturbing, and something needs to be done. The two most popular eating disorders are anorexia and bulimia. While there are many similarities, they are also very different disorders (Worsnop).

Anorexics have a distorted body image and a fear of gaining weight. To lose weight they excessively restrict their diets. They may also exercise excessively or fast completely, starving their bodies of necessary vitamins and nutrients. A person with anorexia nervosa typically weighs no more than 85 percent of the expected weight for the person’s age, height, and sex, and in some cases much less (Emery & Shepphird). Anorexics lose weight quickly, and most have a below average BMI. To conceal the sudden and dramatic weight loss they often wear baggy clothes. There are many dangers that come along with this scary disease including malnutrition and risk of organ damage because of the lack of body fat necessary for normal body function. Almost all women who are anorexic are amenorrheic. Approximately 90 percent of all people diagnosed with anorexia nervosa are women, and most report onset of the illness between ages 12 and 25 (Emery & Shepphird). Partial-syndrome anorexia is far more common than anorexia nervosa. Researchers report that close to 5 percent of adolescent girls have these mild forms of anorexia nervosa, displaying some, but not all, of the symptoms of the disorder. Anorexics have...