Introduction:
We are three girls from Spain who we are going to write an article about the anorexia’s problem. On the one hand we are going to describe the anorexia’s problem and on the other hand we are going to write our personal opinion about it.
What is anorexia?
Disorders of the nervous system: people who intentionally starve themselves suffer from Anorexia Nervosa. This disorder, which usually begins in young people around the time of puberty, involves extreme weight loss. Many people with the disorder look emaciated, but are convinced they are overweight. For reasons not yet understood, they become terrified of gaining weight.
Anorexia, or self – starvation, is a disease and it can be fatal if left untreated. Recognition of its symptoms can be the first step toward saving yourself or someone you love from this dangerous disease.
The following is a list of the observable symptoms:
Refusal to maintain body weight
Fear of gaining weight
Talks about "feeling fat"
Difficulty with eating full meals
Rigidity with what they
will eat
An obsessive preoccupation with body size
Over-exercising
Intense dissatisfaction
with physical appearance
Personality change from
outgoing to withdrawn
Limit food intake to "arrow selection of low-Cal foods
Hoarding, concealing,
crumbling or throwing away food
Menstrual difficulties.
Personal Opinion:
In our view, we think
Anorexia is a serious disease, which affects many young between 13- 25 years old. The
cases number is increasing more and more. Before 98 the cases number in Spain was about
250. 000, but the cases number is about 500. 000 now, which seem
s alarming to us!!!
In our opinion Anorexia is a serious problem, so we must prevent that it goes on in our society; because this illness affects, as we mentioned before, a lot of people in developed countries. Besides, we think that young people who suffer Anorexia are boys and girls who are unaware of the dangers of this disease. They don’t know that Anorexia can finish with their lives and with their families.
And we ask: How can an anorexic feel well when he/ she looks in a mirror? What we are mainly concerned with here is the Anorexia’s problem, because we live in a world in which people try to have the most beautiful body, a thing that in our view is very laborious and quite, miserable and sad.
We think advertisers should make some advertising campaigns about this disease to concerned about the consequences overall for young people. Although, in our view if a girl wants to be slim, she mustn’t stop eating because this isn’t a good solution. We think that if a girl wants to be slim and fit too, she should exercise twice a week, eat regularly, get plenty of sleep.... but she must never stop eating; besides she is going to get nothing if she doesn’t eat, she will only become thinner and thinner and even die soon.
We have no alternative; we must hope that a day this problem stops, though we think about it and we ask: Can we wait that this problem finish??? Will this illness disappear in the future? In fact, in our view, we have to wait because eventually the present situation can change. Although, Will we be able to fight against a problem like Anorexia??? This questions haven’t got a firm answer because we can’t guess the future but we Know that Anorexia, which is more and more common nowadays, gets better slowly with the aid of a psychologist or a psychiatrist and the family and friends, of course.
Finally, we think that we must convince these people that these bodies (models’ bodies) and small size aren´t beautiful and good for the health (although this isn’t possible without the help of models, shops and others important business in all the world.
As a conclusion, all young people should be aware of the risks of this dangerous illness on the body, and we think that teachers, psychologist... should give us some pamphlets and information about Anorexia and they should explain the effects of this disease better.
If you want more information about Anorexia´s problem, you can consult to these web pages :
Eating Disorders Awareness and Prevention, Inc.
James Logan's Student Personal Support Page
The American Anorexia Bulimia Association
In Spanish
Written By Mª Carmen Garrido
Mª Carmen García
and Fuensanta Justicia
