Anorexia-What Every Parent Should Know

While eating disorders such as anorexia have been around for hundreds of years, it was the fashion industry that coined the phrase “thin was in.” This mindset has caused normal sized young women to feel as though they were overweight or did not fit in.

Fashion Industry Focuses on “Thin”

In 1960, Twiggy, a pubescent English supermodel, came on the scene with a rail-thin waiflike look that took the fashion world by storm. Within a decade, every woman was trying to be the same wafer thin woman they saw on the cover of just about every magazine. By the time 1983 rolled around and Karen Carpenter, one half of the brother/sister singing duet “The Carpenters,” died from a heart condition caused by anorexia, this eating disorder had already reached epidemic proportions.

Because we are a society based primarily on appearance, girls tend to become anorexic more often than boys. In the United States alone, it is estimated that one if three teenage girls have some form of anorexia. And while the age of 17 has been pinpointed as the age when a child is most likely to develop anorexia, female patients as young as 11, and as old as 68, have been diagnosed in recent years.

The most disturbing fact about this disease is that is can be fatal. And once an individual has acquired anorexia, much like alcoholism, he or she must battle the disease for the remainder of their life.

Information Every Parent Should Know:

• The annual death rate for female patients with anorexia is 12 times higher than the death rate due to all other causes combined for females ages 15-24.
• Though more females than males succumb to this disease, the numbers for males is rising.
• Hundreds of individuals die each year from anorexia and complications.
• The biggest difference between anorexic and bulimia, another eating disorder when the patient vomits their food, is that bulimics usually maintain a healthy weight while anorexics lose weight.
• Approximately three percent of the population suffers from an eating disorder.
• In the past five years many “pro anorexic” sites have popped up on the Internet. (be aware of what sites your child is visiting)
• “Ana” and “Mia” are code names for anorexia and bulimia, not the names of your child’s school chums.
• “Thinspiration” is a new word that promotes rail thin bodies and is associated with pro anorexic websites.

If you think someone you know and care about has an eating disorder, it’s time to address the situation. Eating disorders damage the inside of the body long before the damage is apparent on the outside. It is often years before an anorexic begins to see the warning signs of heart failure.

Some Signs to Watch for:

• Depression, withdrawal, lack of confidence
• Excessive exercise
• Extended work hours
• New friends or lack of friends
• Extended sleeping patterns (often sleeping through meals with the excuse that she will eat later)
• Dicing food into bite size pieces (gives the impression of more food on the plate when it is in fact less)
• Wearing a red or purple beaded bracelet – red stands for anorexia, purple for bulimia (wearing matching bracelets are similar to wearing “gang” colors, the bracelet makes the wearer part of a larger group, gives her a sense of belonging, and is a visual reminder not to eat)
• Online journals, websites and message boards that display pictures of extremely thin or extremely heavy women (these pictures are used as inspiration on pro anorexic sites)
• Message boards where “pro anorexic” individuals gather to share stories and tips on how to “not eat” without being caught

Fashion models in the 1940s were considered perfect at a size 12. Today’s fashion models are expected to wear a size 2. The good news? That trend may be changing. Recently the fashion industry was nudged awake when one of Spain’s most of prestigious fashion shows announced they would not allow models on the catwalk with a BMI (Body Mass Index) of less than 18 percent. (Many models have BMIs of less than 18 percent.) The reason: Madrid’s government officials were concerned about setting a positive and healthy image of beauty for their teenagers who tend to mirror what they see on the catwalk.