This is an eating disorder that affects mostly Caucasian (white) teenage girls hence the stereotype that only this group of people are susceptible to it.
Though the cause of it is rumoured to be triggered by habits and lifestyles of a particular group of people, it is in fact not a gender or race based disorder by any standards.
Contrary to beliefs, anorexia is really a serious mental condition that that need serious medical attention seeing that it has claimed the lives of many teens.
It could be described as an eating disorder that is triggered by an obsessive fear of gaining weight.
This then affects the body's ability to maintain a healthy weight thereby causing severe complications in the major organs of the body.
There have been many postulations that are a function of a low self esteem and/or the pressure set by peers and the society as to what is the ideal weight and shape of an individual.
Anorexia being common in a particular class of people - young White girls, has stereotyped the disorder to exclusively affect this class.
It could then be argued that there are noted physical and behavioural characteristics of the victims of the disorder.
However, the causes can be beyond excessive dieting habits.
The signs and symptoms can include but are not limited to the following; •Sudden weight loss •Obsession with nutritional contents of food and dieting •Obsession with body weight •Russell's sign - the scarring of the knuckles cause by repeated attempts to induce vomit by forcing the hands down the throat •Selective and very light eating •Over exercising and frequent weight checks •Intolerant to cold due to loss of vital body fats •Frequent bouts of depression and solitude •Swollen cheeks cause by frequent vomiting Biological Causes Heredity can be the cause of most cases, meaning that in contradiction to the myth that most sufferers brought it on themselves; most of the cases are not a function of deliberate starvation but a result of a host of unmanaged or un-noticed biological factors.
This means that there is little or nothing that they could have done deliberately to cause it.
Environmental Causes Culture is argued to be one of the most common causes of the disorder.
With the society with help from the media promoting certain body types as ideal; many young adults have taken extreme means to achieve that ideal.
The pressure is often so much that they go too far thus triggering the disorder.
Causes in Men It may come as a surprise but, yes, men do suffer from anorexia too and because it is wrongly perceived as a female gender disorder, it makes it difficult to diagnose males early for the disorder.
Although studies show the occurrence of this disorder is higher in homosexual or bi-sexual males, heterosexual males are not spared.
As per other medical conditions, the symptoms vary on a case to case basis and early detection is needed to increase the chances of treatment and survival of the victims.
Not all anorexic patients deliberately starve themselves to it, some are not aware of it until a very advanced stage has been reached.
Learn about the symptoms of the disorder and encourage sufferers to seek medical attention early.
It might save your life and theirs.