| IT’S NOT a cold night
but she stands in front of the mirror shivering. She sees herself as an overweight blimp, a fat person who is dissatisfied with her weight. But if anyone else was to enter the room they would see a pale, sick person with limp hair hanging from her head, her bones protruding from her frail, underweight body. This is Anorexia Nervosa at it’s worse. Monique, who is 27, has suffered from Anorexia since she was 13. At some stages in her life she had been so close to death that doctors had to tube feed her. At these near fatal times, Monique only weighed 25kg. "I had this secret life. Nobody even knew I vomited," she says. "Everyone thought I was absolutely fine because I put on this huge front." Even though now her weight is minimal, she desperately wants to get better. Despite a suicide attempt which Monique describes as a cry for help, she couldn’t stop her food obsession. All Monique wants now is to live for the moment. She doesn’t want to live in the past punishing herself. With her eyes full of hope, she finishes, "I want to be here now, talking, not thinking whether I’m going to get home for dinner." For women suffering from Anorexia Nervosa a see-sawing attitude towards food and the consequences of eating can bring devastating results. The effects of Anorexia can wreck families and destroy young lives. Like alcoholism and drug addiction, Anorexia can leave a long trail of misery. |
Anorexia can be caused by
many different reasons. Most guys and girls who develop the
deadly disease already have a fixation with their bodies,
and they only need the slightest bit of teasing from
their brother or friends at school. A dumb joke about
their thunder thighs and the decision is made. "You have to cut back more. You have to get thinner. Just a few more kilos…" Without realising it, their diet is getting out of control, and these guys and girls are getting abnormally thin. Anorexia is very serious as it can be life threatening. One in 200 Australian women between the ages of 15 and 19 will develop Anorexia. The harm can occur in a number of different ways, one being severe starvation which causes heart attacks and suicide. Some studies show that 5% of people with anorexia die within 5 years of having the disease. Some symptoms that family and friends can use to detect anorexia are: constantly talking about their weight, not eating with the family, wanting time alone, over exercising, cooking for the family and sneaking off after meals. The community needs to be educated about the dangers of dieting. It shouldn’t matter whether someone has a certain height or weight, how they feel about themselves is more important. By Cassie |