Diet plays an important role and can influence health through an interaction with genetic make-up and environment. So, eating the right balance of food and setting the right balance between energy input from eating and expenditure through physical activity are fundamental for good health. Nevertheless, in trying to mould their appearance to reach the ideal “perfect body”, numerous women starve themselves to death.

The trend towards thinness as the ideal female body size started decades ago. The emphasis on fitness, youth, beauty and thinness has caused women to diet harder than ever to attain the current body ideal. This message warns the young woman to be careful of what she eats and to be afraid of her body because it can let her down by becoming fat and therefore unattractive (Ussher, 1995). A major split can develop between body and self as the young woman develops insecurities about her body (Orbach, 1986) and this can result in anorexia nervosa.

Our society determines a woman’s success and worth by her looks while ignoring other aspects of her person. Being thin increases personal attractiveness, which in turn leads to psychological and social benefits. The increase in plastic surgery, liposuction, breast implants, tummy tucks, and face-lifts, etc, illustrates the extreme adjustments many women feel they must make to attain the ideal body.

Anorexia nervosa, a loss of appetite for emotional reasons, typically begins in the teenage years, often after an episode of dieting and the occurrence of a life stress (Davison & Neale, 2000). It is ten times more frequent in women than in men. According to the American Psychiatric Association, anorexia nervosa is diagnosed when there is refusal to maintain normal body weight, an intense fear of weight gain, body image disturbance and, in women, amenorrhea (loss of menses).

Anorexics are usually obsessed with becoming unrealistically thin and very critical of their bodies. They may weigh themselves up to 20 times a day and consume extremely low-calorie meals. Besides the socio-cultural emphasis on the notion that “thin is beautiful”, there are several explanations for the causes of this eating disorder. From a psychological point of view, a woman’s ability to control her own body size and weight can be seen as substitute control that may be lacking in other areas of her life.

When parents’ wishes are imposed without regard to their child’s needs, the latter does not learn to identify his/her internal states. During adolescence, the child turns to dieting as a way of acquiring control and identity (Davison & Neale, 2000). Moreover, Minuchin et al (1975) argue that families of children with eating disorders usually exhibit other characteristics.

The parents display an extreme level of concern for their child’s well-being and tend to maintain the “status quo” and avoid dealing with circumstances that require change, for example, the demand for increased autonomy in adolescence. Therefore, the anorexic is likely to be in a power struggle with his/her parents. In addition, these families either avoid conflict or are in chronic conflict.

Personality characteristics can be another cause of eating disorders. Patients with anorexia are highly neurotic, anxious and low in self-esteem. They also tend to be perfectionist, compliant, inhibited and have high-achievement expectations (Garner & al, 1983).

Some studies have indicated that self-reports of childhood sexual abuse are higher than normal among patients with eating disorders. Abuse at a very early age, involving force and by a member of the family, has a strong relationship with eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia (Davison & Neale, 2000). Starvation may be a way for a young girl to avoid maturation and to prevent future attacks.

Patients are frequently diagnosed with psychological difficulties like obsessive-compulsive disorder, depression, low self-esteem, phobias, panic disorder, alcoholism, sexual disturbances, suicidal tendencies and various personality disorders (Walters & Kendler, 1994). This quest for ‘perfection’ can become destructive to physical and psychological well-being and even fatal.

Therapy for anorexia involves two steps. The first is to help the patient gain weight to avoid medical complications and possibly death. The second involves psychotherapy, particularly family therapy. Recovery takes six to seven years and relapses are frequent before achieving a stable pattern of eating and weight maintenance (Strober, Freeman & Morrel, 1997).

Anorexia is a serious disease that can have fatal effects on both the physical and mental health of patients. As a culture, we need to start loving and accepting ourselves for who we are and what we look like. Self-acceptance does not mean being without a desire to change or improve. In fact, self-acceptance is a prerequisite for change.