Anorexia nervosa (generally known as anorexia) is an eating disorder in which the sufferer restricts their food intake, sometimes has obsessive, ritualistic, or otherwise unhealthy behaviors around food, and is obsessed with remaining thin. Anorexia sufferers often believe themselves to be overweight when quite the opposite is the case. While both men and women can suffer from the condition, it is much more common among women and particularly young women and teenagers. Untreated, anorexia is a serious condition, and can even lead to death.

As well as dramatic weight loss to well below a normal body weight, people with anorexia display a range of symptoms. In women, periods may cease. In both sexes, rituals around eating food and an obsession with calorie content are common, and sufferers can also show symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and/or body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) when they don’t see themselves as they really are, but as grotesquely overweight. Anorexia can be accompanied by occasional binge eating, accompanied by self-induced vomiting, or the inappropriate use of laxatives or diet pills. Sufferers may often complain of feeling cold and have problems with low energy levels.

Anorexia is a complex condition, and multiple factors are involved. There can be biological and genetic elements as well as psychological and cultural. Anorexia can sometimes develop in response to a period of depression, or to low self-esteem. In many cultures thinness – especially in women – is prized, and the resulting social pressure to look a certain way can be a contributing factor to developing anorexia.