Dyig to Be Thin

Dying to Be Thin

A Look Into the Life of an Anorexic and the Health Risk That Come With It

By: Andrew Peterson

1. What did you see regarding ideal body weight? What other attitudes exist about weight?

When watching the video, I realized that anorexics don’t want to eat. They don’t feel hungry; they don’t think that they are destroying themselves. When they look at themselves, they see themselves as fat and overweight. To try and fit the image of what they think they should look like becomes an obsession. This eventually leads the large percentages of weight loss. Most anorexics, it seems, ideal body weight was 15 to 20 percent below their recommended body weight (according to their age and height).

2. List some medical complications associated with prolonged starvation.

Anorexia can come with numerous complications. Death is the worse complication that can occur from the disorder, and it doesn’t necessarily have to be caused by being severely under weight, it may result form abnormal heart rhythms or an imbalance of electrolytes that maintain the balance of fluids in your body.

Complication of Anorexia:

~Death

~Anemia

~Heart problems, such as mitral valve prolapse, abnormal heart rhythms and heart failure

~Bone loss, increasing risk of fractures later in life

~In females, absence of a period

~In males, decreased testosterone

~Gastrointestinal problems, such as constipation, bloating, nausea.

~Electrolyte abnormalities, such as low blood potassium, sodium and chloride

~Kidney problems

If a person with anorexia becomes severely malnourished, every organ in the body can sustain damage, including the brain, heart and kidneys. This damage may not be fully reversible, even when the anorexia is under control.

Some people commonly also have other mental disorders as well.

Other Common Mental Disorders Experienced By Anorexics:

~Depression

~Anxiety Disorders

~Personality Disorders

~Obsessive-compulsive disorder

~Drug abuse