1. Anorexia Nervosa #24 Unit 2- Abnormal psychology

2. What is it?  An eating disorder and psychological disorder that occurs when someone has extreme dietary habits to prevent weight gain.

3. Why does it happen?  No definite cause, but there are possible causes  Starts when a person is trying to lose a significant amount of weight.  After a while they realize they have control  Weight loss becomes secondary  Genetics may play a role  Dysfunction in hypothalamus may be a cause

4. What happens with anorexia?  A person continues with restrictive eating  Over exercise  Over use diet pills to feel a loss of appetite  May abuse other substances like laxatives, diuretics, or anemia's “You’ll be dead before you’re thin enough.”

5. Statistics  95% of people suffering from anorexia are female (usually teens)  In the US and other countries with high economic statuses 1 in 100 girls are anorexic  0.5%-3.7% of all women are anorexic at some point in their lives  And only 0.3% of all men suffer

6. Criteria for diagnosis  Intense fear of weight gain (even though individual is underweight)  Women miss their period 3 times in a row until hormones administrated  Refuse to maintain a healthy weight for age and height  Weight loss that is not acknowledged (denial)

7. Example From a Parent’s Point of View  Case study of a 9 ½ year old girl  She began by asking her parents if she was fat  Then rejected junk food  Began loosing weight  Pediatrician thought it was a phase  Eventually ended up in the hospital for 3 weeks  Now “live from meal to meal” and have a team of health professionals to help

8. Pro-ana  Websites first made in 2001 to give tips to others to become or continue with anorexia  “Ana-diets” “Becoming anorexic requires years of obsessive and destructive thinking. Anorexia demands absolute, single-minded attention. Do you hate yourself, feel ashamed, embarrassed, guilty, dirty and anxious? If you don’t you will soon.”

9. Sources  "Medscape: Medscape Access." Medscape: Medscape Access. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 May 2011..  "Anorexia Nervosa Symptoms, Signs, Statistics, Treatment, Causes and Diagnosis by MedicineNet.com." Reliable and Relevant Health and Medical Information Produced by Doctors - MedicineNet.com. Web. 04 May 2011..  "ANOREXIA: Warning to Parents, My Pre-adolescent Daughter Developed Anorexia after Seeing It on a Television Program." Angelfire: Welcome to Angelfire. Web. 22 May 2011..