The United States has often been considered the number one country with the highest obesity rate but this does not mean anorexia nervosa is a rare case. In fact, a lot of teenagers and pre-teens are victims of the fear of gaining weight and of being discriminated for being obese. While obesity itself is a major concern in the country, so is Anorexia Nervosa.

Anorexia Nervosa usually occurs among women, although some men could fall victim too, who refuse to eat believing that doing so could make them fat and slimming down is impossible. Although there is no problem with their current body weight and proportion, they tend to eat less until their eating habits become absolutely imbalanced.

Who is to blame for the cause of this serious eating disorder?

A lot of parents and doctors say that the depiction of the perfect model—someone who is skinny thin, tall, and slender has made young teenagers desire to own the same skinny thin body regardless of what extreme thinness can do to their health. Due to the fame and fortune that models and actresses get, teens believe that their idols are displaying the right body frame when the truth is: no.

Other than mass-media influence, peer pressure and discrimination could also lead to Anorexia Nervosa. Some teens fear being treated like an outcast if she is not thin just as her friend is and for some, they believe they will be rejected by people if she does not possess a head-turning figure.

How do you spot a victim?

Not all thin people are anorexics. Some teens might just be born with petite frames and slim bones or if his/her metabolism is faster than her peers’, she might not be anorexic at all but simply thin. On the other hand, those who show the following signs could be anorexic:

They miss meals or they skip meals. Some teens will give out excuses to not eat a heavy meal while some would do everything they can to not eat at all.

1. They constantly and frequently check their weight. Even if not a single fat is visible on a victim, she would still refer to the weighing scale for her real weight. This could be a frequent activity or could happen every morning as soon as she wakes up.
2. They keep on complaining about their weight. They tend to say “I’m so fat!” even when they’re not and they look all gloomy if someone tells them they have gained weight in a good way or bad.
3. They exercise as much as they check their weights. They are so obsessed with burning fat that they tend to constantly exercise everyday. They believe fat would sink in if they don’t exercise so much; hence, they do things to sweat and to eventually, lose fat.
4. They eat foods that are said to be of low fat ingredients or low-calorie.
5. Some, after eating could spit what they have just eaten or some would show boring or a tired look at the sight of a meal.
6. Any obvious quick loss of weight could also be a sign of anorexia or an internal health problem.

By understanding the reason why your child, friend, or even, your wife has slowly started to become anorexic, you will be able to identify and find a solution that could lead to her recovery. At this difficult challenge, one of the ways to help her return to a balanced diet is by persuading her and by convincing her that absolute thinness is downright ugly—not just physically but internally as well.

Observe your teens if they are showing any abnormal eating-related problem and help them recover from this psychological and physical dilemma before it is too late. By taking down steps and by making sure that they follow a balanced diet, you will be able to stop anorexia before it is too late.