I wonder if I was meant for you.

THERE are no ball-park figures, just victims looking like concentration camp prisoners.Anorexia has become a growing but silent obsession among young Malaysians.

Looking at the global statistics, most of these eating disorder victims are young middle and upper-class girls. In America and other affluent nations, one out of every hundred adolescent girls has it.


In fear of being FAT

A 15-YEAR-OLD girl runs up and down the stairs after meals. A 12-year-old dancer follows an extreme food list prepared by her mother and ballet teacher.

Welcome to the world of anorexia, the dreaded eating disorder with no official numbers of its victims, just pencil-thin Kate Moss wannabes turning up at hospitals.

And its wilting an unknown number of out Malaysians roses. Going by foreign statistics, 95% of victims are adolescents girls frm middle class and rich families.
What is frustrating for local medical experts is tht anorexic victims are reluctant to seek medical help, hence the absence of statistics.

This is because most victims are teenagers who still depend on their family and are unlikely to seek treatment. Though the disorder maybe food-focused, the root causes are likely to be problems at home, stress or low self-es-teem for not looking pretty or slim like their friends.

Anorexia can begin with skipping a meal or two to lose weight. They may also emulate friends who eat, say, two slices of watermelon for lunch. The 12-year-old ballet says girls are more pressed to look beautiful besides being more sensitive and emotionally affected by their surroundings at tht age.

Society whr thin is glamorous, it could lead to anorexia. " Of course " It would be simplistic to blame anorexia on society alone as many victims have family and personal problem, and emotional issues. Eating disordersa are more common now with anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa being the common forms. We have girls exposed to the mentality tht being thin means beautiful and forget healthly living.

Treatment involves psychotheraphy to help change negative thoughts while patients with severe conditions must be admitted due to the risk of starvation, cardiac arrest or low electrolytes. The whole family must also be involved.