© 2012 Essex Eating Disorder Service

Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder and mental health condition

which can be life-threatening. People with anorexia try to keep their

weight as low as possible, usually by restricting the amount of food they

eat. They often have a distorted image of themselves, thinking that

they're fat when they're not.

Some people with the condition also exercise excessively, and some eat a

lot of food in a short space of time (binge eating) and then make

themselves sick or use laxatives (purging).

People affected by anorexia often go to great attempts to hide their

behaviour from family and friends by lying about eating and what they

have eaten, or by pretending to have eaten earlier. As with other eating

disorders, anorexia can be associated with depression, low self-esteem,

alcohol misuse and self-harm.

 

From nhs.uk