How do people develop anorexia nervosa?

Answer 1

Here is advice and input: * To me, it's the media, though it's no one's fault. Seeing these thin images somehow motivates the better of us to have the 'desired' look everyone wants. Other than that, it's the sense of control it brings to your life. You may not be able to control what is happening around you, or to you, but you can control what you eat and how you look, and how you feel about your body. Basically being "brainwashed" into thinking superthin is gorgeous, they want to look like that, too. They convince themselves that by losing that weight they could be that much better, that much prettier, get a boyfriend, have more people like them, get more attention, whatever. They start eating less and less until they are eating a ridiculously small amount or even nothing. * It is not a mental disease. That would simply be too easy an answer. Otherwise there would be pre-natal tests that would conclude who would suffer from it or not. Anorexia is similar in the reasoning of anyone suffering from addiction. It's easier to treat their behaviour as that of an addict. There maybe many reasons for the cause of it. Some hear voices, others say it's simply a manifestation of OCD. * If you're afraid of being fat, that will make you anorexic. * People who have a fear of being fat does not make them anorexic. Just because you do not want to see your self get fat does not mean you will have this harmful condition. If you are afraid of being fat just watch what you eat, make sure you eat though. Also exercise moderatly. Just because you do not want to be fat does not mean you WILL be fat. * I believe that girls mainly become anorexic because of how they see themselves. Fat, ugly.. and that they are everything opposite that they want to be. Me myself, once being an anorexia victim, believed that I was always over weight, not realizing that I had only weighed 100 pounds at age 15 being 5'8. I had hated everything about myself and thought of myself as the ugliest person I had ever seen. Even after meals I went to the bathroom to throw up my food. Girls today are the targets of media. Girls see women in movies and singers and glamorus famous people as pretty and thin, which is our objective to become. Except the thing is, that some girls will do anything -even throw up their own food- to become thin and glamorus just like these singers and models and actresses. Girls, Boys, Men and Women of all ages, if it be 13 or 52 years old, that as long as they keep fit and healthy then they are good-looking or sexy, no matter what anyone thinks. And as long as you belive in yourself that you are pretty or handosome, then you are by no doubt as sexy as you see yourself. You don't need other people to tell you that you are if you believe it yourself! * I feel that the reason people become anorexic pertains to the same reasoning behind self mutilation, drug addiction, over eating, teenage rebellion, etc. Stress. A bird will deliberately pluck the feathers from it's own body until it is bald if put under stresful situations. Deal with the stressors and you'll obtain a major upperhand on the stress referral. It may not always be so simple to solve a problem in this way but it's worth a try. * Well, number one you can't just 'become anorexic'. It is a disease, not a lifestyle choice, not a quick fix for your ugly body, not any of that. Most of the time, it is genetic. It normally isn't even about being skinny. It is a way to control something in your life, when you just can't find another way. For me, I could control the food I let pass through my throat, the amount of exercise I did, and the grades I made. And it is partially a mental disease for a certain someone who just said it wasn't. If it wasn't mental then how come it is such a long and hard process of recovery. How come all you think about the the amount of calories you consume and burn. Why are you so obsessed with this disease taking over your life? Why would you not care about an entire group of friends that you lose because of it? Okay so here are my main points: It is, in fact, mental. It is a disease. You can't decide to 'become' it * Contrary to what most believe, anorexia nervosa can be genetic or a person's choice. Whichever the case may be, it is still unhealthy. I am 16 years old, am 5'9", and weigh 140 pounds. I do not look fat at all. My weight is proportioned throughout my entire body and everyone tells me I am sooo skinny since I am very tall for my age. Although I don't believe a single thing that comes out of their mouths, I am still struggling with my self-image. I think I am so fat and ugly. I constantly think of becoming anorexic or bulimic, but then I think of the repercussions and hardships that come with the illness. Besides, my two former best friends and my mother battled these illnesses long ago and the result was not pretty at all. My main point to all this is that people should not turn to eating disorders to solve their weight issues. People should try exercising and dieting. In the long-run, your body will benefit greatly and you will soon be in tip-top shape instead of all bones! * People become anorexic at a point in their lives where they are completely unhappy with themselves. I myself started when I bought a new scale and found out I was 145 pounds, not the 135 I was unhappy with in the first place. I told myself I would throw up food only when I felt too full. I thought that I would never get sucked in, not become one of those calorie-obsessed bulimic/anorexic people that seriously had a problem. I started throwing up once a week, and that led to starving myself days at a time. Eventually I started losing weight, but I never stopped. If you really want to lose weight, do it the healthy way. Exercise daily and eat three healthy meals a day. Anorexia is not a good option. * I see and understand all of the point of views about this subject. I started puking up my food because I was tired of people calling me fat and my dad would make jokes about my weight. Nobody realized what such low self-esteem I had especially boust my weight. I would puke after I ate, until I started loosing my apetite and became anorexic. I was always tired that my grades started slipping because I was always falling asleep in class, I was always cold, I had dark circles around my eyes. But I didn't care I saw that I was loosing weight and that was all that mattered. And having everybody say how great I was looking and how I was loosing so much weight made me want to do it more. I was 16 5'3" and weighed 180 pounds. In about two months I dropped down to about 155. I currentaly weigh 145 pounds. I stopped doing all of this though because I saw how bad I was hurting my parents and my firends became really worried about me. I now did some research and found out how bad doing this to yourself really is. There is so many things that come along with you just trying to lose weight. All I wanted to do was do it long enough for my apetite to decrease and to lose the weight that I wanted to lose. But it really does hurt your body. I know it doesn't really matter what other people say, it's all about what you think inside of yourself. So the only thing that I can say is this research bulemia and anorexia before you start doing it because in the long run it really isn't worth it.

* Trust me, being anorexic is horrible. I used to not eat for days and days at a time and when I would I would throw up what I ate. It was the worst time of my life and I have to fight it every day of my life. Please do not start. You are beautiful, and you do not have to be skinny to be beautiful. Everyone is beautiful. And you can find control other ways, by writing, painting, talking with a counselor, anything but stopping eating. It causes so many more problems.

Answer 2

Anorexia is where you eat little to no food, thus starving yourself.

Bulimia is a system of "bingeing" and "purging".

-Bingeing is where you eat as much as you can, stuffing yourself.

-Purging is where you force yourself to throw up.

Both of these are eating disorders which come from the notion that one is overweight. This may or may not be true.

Both disorders usually start with someone who is overweight. Most people assume that only girls fall into these two categories. This is a lie.

On average, an anorexic person is extremely underweight, and a bulimic person is of average/normal weight. However, this is not always the case.

Most don't know about the third halfway category. This is what is called an ana-mia. Defined as both anorexic and bulimic. Basically, the person eats very little but when they do eat they usually throw it up on purpose. So basically, it's bulimia, only the bingeing is replaced by anorexia.

I hope this answer was helpful to you.

Answer 3

Anorexia nervosa is a severe and dangerous eating disorder. It is a form (some say symptom) of a deeper mental illness. You can't just decide to be sick.

Here is more input and advice: You can't "become" anorexic -- its something that happens. its the difference between a diet an a obsession. its something you DON'T want. if you think life, people, whatever tell you what to do now, you don't want a dictator in your head telling you to eat so little that you come close to death or die.It's about control, not will power. Anorexics need to control something when they fell out of control, so they control their bodies. It IS a mental illness. Not eating is unacceptable. Everyone must eat.

First of all, you can't just choose to become anorexic.

Anorexia is a highly complicated mental disorder that develops over the course of time (sometimes 5, 10 years or more). There is no single issue or event that will cause someone to become anorexic.

There are many contributing factors in the development of anorexia. The can be (but don't *have* to be) - family situations, sexual/physical abuse, disordered thinking (cognitive distortions), etc.

It goes way beyond just a simple desire to lose weight.

Answer 4

Anorexia is less about food than it is about control. Anorexics do not feel that they are in control of their lives - food is one thing they can control, and it gets out of hand.

I think that anorexia is all about how people choose to eat. I have experienced anorexia before and it is not a pleasant thing. It is so hard to not eat so whenever someone is eating then you feel like you have to go away or throw up. It is not about food but about your decision and your reasons for it. Never do it and never live like it because sometimes then you just wish you didnt before.

Answer 5

There is no one exact way that a person develops anorexia. It can happen for many different reasons, and often is the result of a few things. Low-self esteem and low-self image along with depression, BDD (Body Dismorphic Disorder), OCD, and bullying / teasing (often about weight or appearances / looks) can be a major cause. Anorexia can also stem out of other eating disorders, like bulimia, or from bad eating habits like yo-yo dieting.

Answer 6

There are many possible causes of an eating disorder such as anorexia. There is no one reason. Often, many causes join together and lead to the eating disorder. Some common causes are....

* Peer pressure / social pressures

* Media influences

* Low self-esteem

* Dieting gone too far

* Influence / imitation of a family member / friend with an eating disroder

* Depression

* OCD

* BDD (Body Dismorphic Disorder)

Some theories exist stating that there may be a genetic or internal cause or link, but nothing in this has been conclusively studied.

Answer 7

Caused in too much liquid in the brain cases you to feel that you too fat . Bullling could contribute also

Answer 8

start by skipping meals and excercising.

gradually decrease your meals until you only eat to stay alive while doin this increase your excersise more.