It is an eating disorder. Its major symptom is that it enables people to lose excess weight.
Body size is the best indicator of an eating disorder.This is certainly one of the most insensitive myths, because this illness belongs to the class of those which are not externally visible. Appearances are often deceiving, and a person’s weight or appearance can never point out the severity of the problem. Although low weight is a part of the diagnostic criteria for anorexia, it is not mandatory. If someone suffering from anorexia gains weight, it cannot be concluded that they no longer have an eating disorder. Internal turmoils and pains associated with an eating disorder cannot always be visualized, as they are by nature secretive.People with anorexia don’t eat anything.Eating disorder is not just all about eating, food, and disorders. People with eating disorders like anorexia limit intake of things such as carbohydrates, and fats. They often try to restrict calories in their diet. However, much of this obsession is kept secret by the person having anorexia. They often put on a show of eating ‘normally’ in order to convince themselves and others that they are just being healthy. This is done so that their struggle remains a secret. So, anyone having anorexia can also be found eating ‘normally’, but the problem lies in the fact that it may be all they have the entire day, or even days. As already mentioned, appearances are often deceiving.They will eat if they get hungry enough.In all probability, the first intuitive response made by you to anyone who refuses food will be “just eat”. Such types of comments are least helpful for a person having an eating disorder like anorexia nervosa. The causes which leads to eating disorders are quite complex. Assuming that a person having anorexia will eat if he gets hungry enough does not make sense anyway. You must not deceive yourself by thinking that you can just start eating anytime if you want to. This cannot be true, otherwise, you would have already started eating.Eating disorders are primarily about food.Apparently it may appear to be true, but you will be certainly surprised by the fact that eating disorders are ‘mental disorders’. For anyone who has eating disorder, food is often a way to comfort themselves. Of course, food and behaviors are part of eating disorders, but they are certainly not the real problem. Food is just a physical infestation of the real problem. Food and appearance do play an important role in anorexia nervosa, but assuming that the entire disorder is all about food is certainly wrong.Only teenage girls have eating disorders.Associating eating disorders with age is one of the most common mistakes that almost everyone makes. Although eating disorders often begins during the teen years, saying that only teenage girls have eating disorders is certainly wrong. Even older women can struggle with anorexia nervosa. Leave alone women, even men are known to suffer from this disorder.People with eating disorders act this way to hurt the people who hurt them.Nothing can be more insensitive than this, especially because the person having anorexia nervosa feels even worse when others are hurt because of their illness. Deep-seated emotional, spiritual, or physical difficulties are responsible for developing eating disorders. Although eating disorders are quite often connected with different forms of abuse, but saying that a person develops eating disorder as an attempt to manipulate, or hurt someone is totally absurd. We must accept the fact that eating disorder is an illness and should be treated like that only.If you exercise to keep your heart and body strong, you cannot die from anorexia.This myth is especially popular among those who really are suffering from this illness. This myth is a way of convincing themselves that their problem is not very serious. Some even believe that they can protect themselves from the effects of malnutrition by taking vitamin supplements, or if they avoid some of the well publicized eating disorder behaviors, they can avoid the health risks. However, the fact is that the medical complications which arise as a result of malnutrition and starvation are real.Dieting causes anorexia.Dieting does not lead to anorexia. However, it can certainly act as a trigger, especially for those people who are prone to this disorder. The people who consider their physical appearance as source of their self-esteem fall into the category of those people who are prone to develop anorexia nervosa.Eating three meals a day can prevent anorexia nervosa.When it comes to food restriction, there are certainly many other means other than fasting. Limiting to the types of food eaten or the amount of food eaten are some other popular ways of food restriction. For instance, a person having anorexia nervosa may follow a diet with severe calorie restriction.
