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People who suffer from anorexia often think about food and calories all the time. They rarely eat fat or carbohydrates, and they try to skip meals whenever possible. Often they are afraid that if they eat normally they will become fat and that others will laugh at or tease them. This fear leads them to want to be less than the normal, healthy weight for their height. They are often deeply afraid of not being loved, of other people not approving of them, or of losing control of their lives. Anorexics are often perfectionists who will push themselves hard to succeed and are often very successful in most areas of their lives. They may also take too much exercise, pushing themselves harder and harder in order to lose more weight and / or punish their bodies.

Gradually as they lose weight they begin to feel a sense of achievement. Starving themselves and over exercising gives them a 'high'. People may start commenting on their weight loss and complimenting them on their hard work or strong willpower, and that can make them feel special. At this stage people often report that they have endless energy and feel that they cannot keep still. This is the body's way of encouraging them to find food, but often this drives anorexics to become even more active.

However, as they lose more weight they may also feel depressed and gradually become very tired, and weak. They may not be able to think rationally, concentrate or move around much. They may feel isolated, sad, and may even feel suicidal.

They may feel that everyone around them seems angry, concerned and upset. However much they believe they are in control, in reality they have lost control because their weight is actually controlling them.

Physical:

severe weight loss
periods stopping
difficulty sleeping
dizziness
stomach pains
feeling bloated
growth of downy hair
constipation
feeling cold

Psychological:

feeling fat when really underweight
being irritable
setting high standards
lack of interest in normal activities
wanting to be left alone and losing friends
increased interest in food, calories and cooking
difficulty in concentrating

Behavioral:

excessive exercising
having ritual behaviours
associated with eating (i.e. I must chew every mouthful 50 times" or "I must only eat orange foods" etc
lying about eating meals
cooking cakes and meals for the family but not eating them
hiding food at mealtimes

If you think you or somebody you know has anorexia it is important that you get some support. If you can, talk to a friend or relative that you trust, a teacher or your GP, or click on the other links in this section to find out some more useful contacts.