Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder where patients engage in extreme self-starving to avoid weight gain, often becoming dangerously thin and risking their lives. It involves both unrealistic body image and usually begins in adolescence. Signs include obsessive concern with weight, over-exercising when ill, strict food limits, and purging. Without treatment, anorexia can become lifelong and damage major organs, but early intervention is often successful. The Center for Counseling and Health Resources in Seattle treats eating disorders, depression, and anxiety with whole-person therapy.

2.  Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder in which patients
engage in extreme self-starving behavior to avoid gaining
weight, often becoming dangerously emaciated and
sometimes endangering their lives.
To understand anorexia, it is necessary to grasp that the
condition involves both the mind and the body. Patients
demonstrate an unrealistic body image in which, no
matter how thin they may appear to others, they see
themselves as overweight. The condition usually begins
during adolescence. While the disorder most often affects
females, about a quarter of those with eating disorders
are male, and their specific needs are often unmet in
treatment programs that focus on women.

3.  Signs of anorexia include an obsessive concern with
weight, over-exercising even when ill, setting stringent
limits on the amount of food consumed, and using
vomiting, diuretics, or laxatives as ways of avoiding
weight gain.
While early intervention can be highly successful, if
left untreated the condition can become a serious
lifelong problem. Anorexia can result in thinning or
brittleness of the bones, or damage to major organs
such as the heart and kidneys. If you believe a loved
one may be anorexic, seek professional medical help
and behavioral health services immediately.

4.  The Center for Counseling and Health
Resources, Inc., serves the community of
Seattle, Washington, and beyond, as a
mental health center focused on whole-
person therapy. Under the direction of
Dr. Gregg Jantz, the Center—“A Place of
Hope”—especially concentrates on
eating disorders, depression, and
anxiety.