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You’ve probably heard about anorexia, which is also called anorexia nervosa (say: ah-nuh-rek-see-uh nur-voh-suh). With this eating disorder, the person is so afraid of being fat, he or she almost stops eating. People who have anorexia nervosa are obsessed with food, sometimes measuring it and weighing it or counting calories. They eat only very small amounts and may exercise for hours every day to burn off the calories.
A person who has anorexia might lose weight or maintain a weight that’s too low for his or her height. Someone who normally weighs 100 pounds might drop to 80 pounds or even lower. But no matter how thin people with anorexia get, they think they are fat.
People with anorexia often have depression or anxiety. Anorexia is a difficult illness because it’s not easily understood - no one really knows what causes it, it’s difficult to treat, and it tends to be a long-term condition. To help someone with anorexia, evaluation and treatment are usually necessary. Some of the symptoms include:
dropping lots of weight
denying feeling hungry
exercising excessively
feeling fat
withdrawing from social activities