Anorexia nervosa is one of the most dangerous eating disorders in the world, but unfortunately, the illness is still not taken as seriously as it should be. Diagnostically speaking, anorexia is characterised as an extreme anxiety disorder, where the sufferer develops an extreme phobia of gaining excess weight, and as a response to this anxiety, a strong desire to be thin, which manifests itself through starvation or bulimia.
As well as incurring the obvious risk of death by malnourishment, anorexia often also exacerbates other mental health issues, such as suicidal depression, obsessive compulsive disorder, or body dysmorphia. Globally, anorexia is estimated to affect 2.9 million people as of 2015 and has been estimated to occur in 0.9% to 4.3% of women and 0.2% to 0.3% of men in Western countries, according to a report published in the National Library of Medicine’s psychiatric journal. Bearing these alarming statistics in mind, it’s easy to understand why these eating disorders are such an urgent malady. But there is hope for those going through it, and recovery is possible, as the following images will attest.
1. An incredible transformation
2. What a difference a year makes
3. No more fear
4. Inspiring in black and white
5. Exercise is key to success