Eating disorders are a growing problem in teenagers of today. According to an Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD) study, eighty-six percent of eating disorder victims report their problem before the age of twenty. The two main types of eating disorders are anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder that usually strikes women. There are about seven million women who have anorexia, and many of them will die of complications. This disease is defined as self-starvation, leading to a body weight that is 15% below normal. Accompanied with the weight loss are hyperactivity, hypothermia, and amenorrhea. Hypothermia is when the body's natural insulation deteriorates and the person becomes cold all the time. Amenorrhea is skipping at least three menstrual cycles. Anorexia may be hard to detect. It often starts out as a regular diet. The affected person often begins to engage in excessive exercise so they can loose more weight. In the more dangerous stages of the disease, the victim usually wears baggy and layered clothes to hide their condition. No matter how thin the victim becomes, she still feels too fat, and continues to diet. There are two sub-types of anorexia nervosa. The first is the restricting type. People fitting this type do not engage in binge eating or purging. The second type, binge eating/purging, is exactly the opposite. The victim does engage in binge eating and purging. One in ten cases of anorexia leads to death, either by starvation, cardiac arrest, or suicide. There are many other less serious physical complications of anorexia. Victims may suffer from dry skin, brittle nails, hypothermia, and anemia, just to name a few. Anorexia does not just cause physical problems. Psychological complications are also often obvious in anorexia victims. The majority of individuals with anorexia also suffer from clinical depression. Obsessive-compulsive diso...
