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ONE are the days when Marilyn Monroe's voluptuous, curvy size 16 figure was con­


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sidered the height of fashion. Instead, with the assistance of magazine edi­ tors, photographers and fashion design­ ers, in the Nineties we created a new. celebrity to replace the. Hollywood stars in an endeavour to put a spark of glamour back into our lives — the "super model" was born. With the super-model phenomenon, we are accustomed to seeing girls glid­


ing with glamour down the catwalks with 24-inch waists and 34-inch hips, their thinness demonstrating a symbol of strength, achievement and attractive­


ness. Claudia Schiffer follows a strict food


regimen. A typical day's diet consists of fruit salad, fruit juice and mineral water for breakfast, chicken salad and miner­ al water for a teatime snack and noth­ ing but steamed vegetables for supper. How many people could realistically stick to a diet like this? Not many, sure­ ly, but why do so many girls feel pres­ surised to diet and become anorexic? And who is at risk and why? Most girls suffering from anorexia are


perfectionists, high achievers who excel in school or at work. Although they may not realise it, parents can contribute to the problem as many young people try too hard to live up to their parents' expectations, resulting in


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pressure and stress. Initially, it is very difficult to stop eat­ ing, but after a while anorexics seem to enjoy a thrill from denying themselves food. Anorexics may become obsessed with the amount of weight they are los­ ing, or feel a sense of victory at being able to control their intake of food. Sadly, being slim is envied by the soci­ ety we live in, which may encourage the anorexic to-continue with her star­


vation diet. Many of these reasons may sound


ridiculous to you — however, they might seem very real to your child. If you understand why a girl can become involved with anorexia, it s much easi­


know if p r


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jppnrt hv Rachel Wilkinson er for you to talk to her


about it. Anorexia nervosa, as it


is medically known, literally •means a nervous loss of appetite. In reality, Neil Hanson, Professor of Nutrition at St. George's Hospital Medical School, London, says: "In reality, an anorexic doesn't simply suffer from a loss of appetite, but the intake of food is drastically reduced to the point of starva


tion." Despite popular belief, this


is not a physical illness, but rather it is an' inability or refusal to eat because of emotional conflict. Obviously, the condition leads to noticeable weight loss, but although the anorex­ ic becomes emaciated, a resulting fear of being obese is sustained. Continuous starvation causes the body's faculties to become weak­ ened, resulting in kidney dam­ age, bone-mass loss, sudden .heart failure, blood disorders, abnormally low blood pressure and hormonal dis­ orders, causing menstruation to cease.


Noticeable symptoms include:


• Yellowing skin • Cessation of menstruation


• Abnormal drowsiness and weakness • Irregular heart beat • Rapid weight changes. It is clear that the risks to health far


outweigh the benefits of being slim, but to an anorexic, feelings of inadequacy mean that thinking rationally is virtual­ ly impossible, so that being thin becomes an obsession. Don't be misled — anorexia isn't always simple to iden­


tify. Anorexia has one of the highest death


rates of all the psychiatric illnesses, but research shows that deaths can be pre­ vented by appropriate treatment. The sooner the disorder is recognised


Claudia Schiffer follows a strict food regimen. A typical day's diet consists of fruit salad, fruit juice and miner­ al water for breakfast, chick­ en salad and mineral water for a teatime snack and noth­ ing but steamed vegetables for supper.


and assistance given, the better the prognosis. Delay in recognising the complaint and providing treatment can result in the need for more intensive


treatment. Once the problem has been recog­


nised, however, not all medical practi­ tioners have sufficient knowledge to be • able to oversee the progress of anorex­ ia. It is likely that your daughter will most probably be referred to a profes­ sional who has adequate training in overcoming eating disorders. Effective treatment relies heavily on the determi­ nation of the patient to recover and the skills of the therapist. It is vital that you insist on a specialist


dealing with the situation, since your daughter needs to feel secure and understood. Effective types of treatment include counselling, psychotherapy,


group therapy, family therapy, in­ patient treatment, dietetic advice, and in some instances drugs can prove ben­ eficial in the short term. If you feel you need help from special­ ists, but don't know where to start, con­ tact the Eating Disorders Association,


-Sackville Place, 44, Magdalen Street, Norwich, Norfolk NR3 1JV (01603- 619090). In addition, the Women's Therapy Centre run therapy groups and will send out information and a book­ list of further reading. Simply contact them at Women's Therapy Centre, 6, Manor Gardens, London N7 6LA. Above all, you need to provide loving


care and support for your daughter. Endeavour to make her realise that although her recovery will not be immediate, with the correct assistance recovery is possible.


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