by Jocy Vitela

Anorexia nervosa is a disorder that causes you to eat little and exercise a lot, forcing yourself to lose weight from the fear of being fat. A person with anorexia will go to extremes to lose weight such as starving themselves and exercising too much.

Anorexia will make a person think she is extremely fat when that person is actually very gaunt. The cause of anorexia is unknown. Researchers have noticed that anorexia can manifest itself after severe trauma. They also believe some people may like the attention this disorder gives them.

 Anorexia usually begins during the teen years or young adulthood. It is more common in females but may also be seen in males. Anorexia is seen mainly in women who are high academic achievers and who have a goal-oriented family or personality. The main treatment for anorexia is making the person realize  that they have an illness. The goal of treating anorexia is to achieve a healthy body weight.