Causes and Treatments for Anorexia

Anorexia Nervosa, a mental illness in which a person has a severe and constant fear of gaining weight and a vague observation of their actual weight and body shape. People with this illness believe themselves to be fat even when their weight is so low that their health is in danger. A person with anorexia nervosa often refuses to eat anything and usually becomes extremely thin after a period of time. As a mental illness, …

…right now about the ways in which anorexia nervosa can be prevented, some professionals have developed prevention programs that have combated the social and cultural emphasis on a person's appearance and the association of thinness with health, happiness, goodness, and power. These programs stress the developing sources of self-esteem that are based on the qualities within one's self other than a person's physical appearance and promote the acceptance of the natural diversity of body types.