People With Anorexia

Anorexia nervosa is one of several eating disorders that adversely affect approximately 5 million Americans yearly, with an all-consuming and often dangerous inner drive to become ever thinner. Viewing their world through a prism of unreasonable and illusive demands in order to satisfy the concept of a perfect body image, people with anorexia generally fall below 15% of the minimum base line body weight needs. People with this disorder directly link their inner feelings of self worth, happiness, approval and acceptance with distorted achievements in weight loss and food denial. Many people suffering from this reach such an emaciated physical state that they do major physical damage to their bodies or literally starve themselves to death.

A distorted self-image is the major propelling force in the psychological and spiritual arena of those who suffer from anorexia nervosa. Even though listed by professional psychologists as a disorder, its onset is the result of human choice, although promoted by a seductive distortion of personal responsibility toward perfection. People with anorexia are generally unaware of where the preoccupation with food control will lead them and it is usually difficult for them to actually realize the decline in their health condition when it becomes critical. The reality of it all is about what's on the inside, although the manifestation of that distortion is seen on the outside.

It usually takes someone close to them to recognize the symptoms of the eating disturbance because their perception of reality in relationship to themselves is abnormal. Emotionally, victims of anorexia nervosa experience a type of self-satisfaction in reverse, which continues to fuel their resolve for body image control through continually self-imposed eating restrictions. Many former victims attest to the fact that a feeling of satisfaction was only maintained as they continued to over-exercise, eat less and less, and even resort to total starvation. The thinner they became, the better they thought they would feel.

Dealing with the root causes of a sufferer is ultimately the answer for people with anorexia. No amount of imposed health concerns, pressured food consumption or number of times hospitalized, will reverse the downhill, emotional plunge that these people suffer. It is critical that they receive competent, experienced help in dealing with the psychological and spiritual root causes of their torment. People with anorexia can be freed from the bondage of a distorted perspective and changed to enjoy the personal wholeness God intended for them. There are many professional sources that can provide caring, experienced help for sufferers of anorexia nervosa. "And ye are complete in Him, which is the head of all principality and power..." (Colossians 2:10)

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