Effects Of Anorexia

Surrey's children get a feeling for mental health issues

Children are being encouraged to express their feelings as part of a mental health campaign.

Feeling Good Week, taking place between July 4 to July 8, was organised by Surrey’s Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS).

During the week, which has a theme of me and my world, children in more than 60 schools will focus on the different emotions people have, as well as the different parts of the world they are from which make them unique.

It is estimated about 19,500 children in Surrey suffer from mental health problems, ranging from anorexia to anxiety.

Peter Martin, Surrey County Council ’s cabinet member for children and learning, said: “Children’s happiness and emotional health is extremely important and must be recognised not only during this week, but every week.

“Mental health problems, such as eating disorders and self-harming, among young people can have devastating effects on their lives. Feeling Good Week is an excellent opportunity to spread the message about positive emotional health and remind Surrey’s young people to take care of themselves and others.”

Youngsters can also take part in the Feeling Good Week art competition, with a family ticket to Chessington World of Adventures on offer as first prize.

Artworks should express the theme of the week.

Entries should be sent by post to CAMHS, Room G29, County Hall, Penrhyn Road, Kingston KT1 2DN, or emailed to camhs@surreycc.gov.uk, by July 22.

They should also include the name, age and school of the child and contact details of their parent or guardian.

The Malign Effects of Anorexia Nervosa | Eating Disorders

While anorexics may at first only follow strict diets, in time they may also engage in acts of self-starvation. People who suffer from anorexia also exercise a lot in an attempt to lose “extra” pounds. In time, anorexics become obsessed with food and dieting, and they eventually develop an altered perception of their physical appearance. No matter how much weight they may lose, anorexics are never satisfied with their achievements, continuously trying to become thinner.

There are many hypotheses regarding the actual reasons why anorexics constantly engage in unusual food behaviors. Medical scientists believe that people affected by anorexia are actually trying to achieve self-respect through their actions. It’s believed that strict dieting and exaggerated physical exercise are anorexics’ ways of trying to maintain control over their lives. Anorexia usually affects poorly adapted individuals and psychologists believe that anorexics engage in restrictive behaviors in order to prove themselves and other people that they actually hold control over their bodies and lives.

People affected by anorexia engage in similar behavioral patterns. At first, anorexics keep very strict diets and exercise a lot in an attempt to lose weight. Later, anorexics become so obsessed with food and the idea of being fat, that they may even engage in acts of self-starvation. They become depressed and isolate themselves from the outside world, developing complexes of inferiority. As the disorder progresses, anorexics cannot think about anything else but food, dieting and their intake of calories. They may even have obsessive dreams about being fat and repulsive.

As the disorder progresses, anorexics become more and more depressed and their perceptions are considerably altered. In advanced stages of the disorder, many affected persons lose their sense of reason and they become victims of their own actions. It’s very important to understand that anorexics cannot overcome the disorder through their own efforts. People affected by anorexia need all the help and support they can get! Anorexics often need to follow psychiatric programs that can help them confront their fears and fight their addictions.

Psychiatric therapy is not aimed at convincing anorexics that their behavior is wrong; the purpose of therapy is to explore the actual causes of their extreme behavioral acts and to encourage them to overcome their addictions.

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