As I walked into the hospital room that would become my home for the next two months, I caught a glimpse in the full length mirror of a complete stranger. I did not recognize the sixty- eight pound frail girl staring back at me. Anorexia is a disease of addiction that slowly took over my entire being to the point of not knowing who I had become. During my struggle and recovery from anorexia I have faced its control and influence over my physical health, mental and emotional state, and my spiritual growth.
             The first and most obvious signs of an eating disorder are seen through its harmful effects on the body's physical health. Extreme weight loss is noticed as the victim refuses to eat and usually becomes driven by exercise. An anorexic's satisfaction in seeing and feeling her protruding bones fuels this obsession. As the starvation continues, fatigue and weakness become normal feelings due to the extreme malnourishment. Although the person is drained of the energy that would be supplied by food, many anorexics experience a high sensation at times which is believed to be a short burst of adrenaline. Other physical signs of malnutrition are: loss of hair, the growth of a fine layer of hair on the body called lanugo in which the body attempts to keep itself warm, insomnia, and the inability to concentrate. Amenorrhea, the loss of female menstruation, and osteoporosis, the loss of bone mass, are both life long ailments that haunt victims of eating disorders.
             The mental and emotional deceptions caused by anorexia are harder to see and correct then the physical illness. A distorted self image causes the anorexic to become obsessive in many ways. Counting and memorizing calories, constantly stepping onto a scale, and cutting food into tiny pieces, are all examples of the mental control of anorexia. Emotionally, starvation causes the person to become very withdrawn and depressed. Malnourishme
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