The word Anorexia has Greek roots, which means the absence of appetite. People who are suffering from this disease try to eat as less as possible. They are inspired by their conception of looking slim, which is strictly wrong.

Very often people think that the illness among youngsters is the result of modern fashion and beauty shows, becoming more popular at recent days. They are only partially right, as Anorexia has the story of hundreds of years. Scientists and doctors are still trying to determine its main reasons and the most effective ways of treating.

The main contingent of this illness is teenagers from 10 to 14 years old. It is caused by a mental crisis caused by quick changes in their bodies. Girls and boys start feeling unsatisfied of their look and try to change it by radical diets. It leads to a critical weight loss, which becomes the reason of further more serious problems with health and sometimes even fatal endings. Anorexia can be hardly treated without a help of professional specialists: psychologists, nutritionists and others.

Main reasons of Disease Development

The starting point of Anorexia is always different. More often it starts from a diet, yet sometimes the main reason is hidden in some psychic stresses caused by:

• parents divorce;
• death of a close person;
• change of a place of living;
• conflicts at school etc.

Usually girls are more malleable as they have more spleeny characters than boys.

How to Identify that Your Child is Under Risk of Getting Anorexia

Specialists name some main behavior changes that parents should always pay attention at:

• Aimless diet. It means that your daughter may start a diet without any visual reasons to do this. They never complain about it, yet feel euphoria from loosing weight.
• Products sorting out. For people who are suffering from Anorexia having a meal is not an easy thing. They are always too precise about counting calories; always refuse from a number of products: sugar, salt, fat meals, spices and flour.
• Hyperactivity. Teenagers with Anorexia hardly ever feel tired. They are always trying to bring their bodies to total exhaustion with various types of physical activity. It can be running, swimming and visiting a gym more times than it is necessary.
• Disguise. Those who have Anorexia are always trying to hide it from the surrounding. They try to wear clothes which are bigger in size, to pretend looking bigger than they really are.
• Bulimia. In 9 cases of 10 Anorexia is changed with Bulimia. It is the contra verse illness, yet the side effects are not gone. A patient starts eating and gains weight very fast. Usually he will start taking laxative and diuretic medicines also drink a huge amount of water, up to 6 liters, wanting to get organism cleaned.

Harmful Effects

Anorexia causes a number of metabolic disorders, which slow down a sexual maturation. Extreme loss of weight leads to lowering of blood pressure and temperature, heartbeat disorders are also inevitable. The patients often get problems with skin and teeth; they may also feel symptoms of edema.

How Parents Should Act

First of all try not to create an atmosphere of anxiety around your child. Don’t be too intrusive; stay aware of redundant questions and over control. If you notice the symptoms of Anorexia in your child, you should visit a specialist without him first. You might get some basic recommendations there. Explain to your child the hidden risks of using no prescription drugs as the list of them is commonly available for everyone on the Internet. Be sure that you don’t mix up Anorexia with a usual loss of weight caused by an increased temp of growth.