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Caitlyn Baber
Mrs. Crist
English IV
3 March 2016
Her Deadly Affairs
There are over 7.3 billion people in the entire world (U.S Census Bureau). In 2014 it
was estimated between one and five percent of adolescents and young women suffer from
anorexia nervosa (Morris). The amount of people affected by anorexia may be insignificant to
the worlds population, but the consequences of the poisonous restraint, damages not only the
victims mind, but also the minds of the entire population. Believe it or not, everyone knows at
least one person who battles every day with their reflection. Someone suffering from Anorexia
can easily be manipulated because of their constant fear of gaining weight and becoming fat.
An anorexics lifestyle strongly demands control of the mind, corrupting the victim to believing
in only perfection and drastic changes in the personality.
Control. That is one of the first things that comes to the minds of individuals when
looking back at their reflections or when they are scraping their forks against a full plate of
food. Every situation is different amongst the victims, but all share the same common goal
perfect control of their actions. The Ranch, a treatment center, stated, Those who are
diagnosed with anorexia are often so deeply enmeshed in the food-phobic world they have
constructed for themselves that they can no longer remember that a different way of life
exists (The Ranch). Like every other addiction, it starts out small. A treatment center
called, Timberline Knolls states, Behavior may appear obsessive or compulsive, and

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begin to consume more time adopting meal or eating rituals, such as cutting food into
tiny pieces or spitting food out after chewing (Anorexia Symptoms). Anorexia Nervosa
stalks and corrupts its prey, giving the victim no choice but to surrender and forfeit their
judgment.
Anorexia can be one of the more difficult eating disorders to overcome due to the
obsessive behaviors and compulsive yearning for thinness, but could also be one of the
hardest to identify, if not looking for warning signs. Even though the victim has secluded
themselves from close family and friends, the victim does not realize that everyone around
them are witnessing the nutrients slowly being drained from the victims body. Parents
have a vivid imagination. They picture their daughter walking across the stage to receive
her diploma or walking down the aisle to marry the love of her life. Something they do not
imagine a daughter with an eating disorder. In the beginning, parents are not aware of
what is taking place in their childs head, but over time, they identify signs that are not
healthy and normal. The parents will begin to notice the habits that their children are
developing such as, Filling plates with normal amounts of food at meal times, only to end
up throwing much of it in the garbage later, often when they think no one else is looking
(Ekern). Even when the child believes they got away with the tall tale, the parents are able
to see right through it as if it was a fragile piece of glass.
Making the ultimate sacrifice is the payment for Anorexias idea of perfection.
Being fully aware of the fact that the ability to smile and laugh will be lost and instead,
tears will roll down the faces of nave individuals. When accepting anorexia into daily
habits, one is strapping themselves onto an emotional rollercoaster. Another treatment
facility The Ranch writes, Those caught in the downward cycle of an eating disorder will

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go through changes in personality irritability, over-sensitivity to criticism,

perfectionism, compulsiveness and depression (Identifying an Eating Disorder).
Emotions will be sporadic; happiness will last only moments before the hopelessness takes
its place and the will to express ones positive personality is scarce.
An individual suffering from Anorexia can be easily identified through their mental
phobia of becoming overweight and their minds desire for faultlessness. Their lifestyles also
shows signs of lack of nutrition, drastic personality changes and how easily it is for the ones
around them to clearly see malnourishment, the victims constant refusal to eat. It is said that,
Anorexia is the third most common chronic illness among adolescents between forty and
sixty percent of high school girls diet (Morris.) Anorexics are trapped behind a locked door.
Enclosed in a soundproof room, screaming on the top of their lungs, crying for help. Despite the
fact their voices are unheard, their appearance and personality speak for them.

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Works Cited

"Anorexia Symptoms and Effects." Anorexia. Timberline Knolls, n.d. Web. 29 Feb. 2016.
<http://www.timberlineknolls.com/eating-disorder/anorexia/sign-effects/>.
Ekern, Jacquelyn. "Family Involvement in Treatment." Eating Disorder Hope RSS. N.p., 10 Feb. 2014.
Web. 01 Mar. 2016. <http://www.eatingdisorderhope.com/treatment-for-eating-disorders/familyrole#Parents-and-Eating-Disorders>.
"Identifying an Eating Disorder in Its Earliest Stages." The Ranch. N.p., 06 June 2012. Web. 29 Feb.
2016. <https://www.recoveryranch.com/articles/eating-disorders/identifying-an-eating-disorderin-its-earliest-stages/>.
Morris, Kelly. "Anorexia Statistics." Mirror Mirror Eating Disorders. N.p., 2007. Web. 27 Feb. 2016.