ics show bulimic symptoms, such as vomiting and laxative abuse, which has its own problems, including erosion of teeth by gastric acids, parotid gland enlargeme!
             nt and electrolyte imbalances (Vandereycken and Meerman, 1984). Mild anemia, swollen joints, reduced muscle mass, and light-headedness also commonly occur in anorexia. If the disorder becomes severe, patients may lose calcium from their bones, making them brittle and prone to breakage. All of these activities contribute to deteriorated physical and mental health, and unless intervention occurs can lead to death. Anorexia nervosa has the highest mortality rate of any psychiatric disease, at a rate of around 5.9%, which may actually be higher (Noshpitz, 1997). Death also occurs due to other present medical conditions, such as complications with the heart, brain or gastrointestinal system. Clearly this is a dangerous disorder, with severe consequences for the individual.
             Anorexia nervosa is a disorder that affects more women than men, with a ten to one female to male ratio (Noshpitz 1997). Many victims of this disease come from the middle to upper socioeconomic level and have a dominating presence in western cultures. Caucasian and Hispanic women seem to be at the highest risk, while women of African and Asian heritages are at the least risk to develop this disorder. There is an alarming prevalence among female athletes, such as runners, divers, gymnasts, and figure skaters, and in other professions such as acting and modeling. The characteristic that tightly binds the majority of anorexic cases together is the sudden onset of the disease in early to mid adolescence. Typically, the disease affects females ranging from age 14 to age 18, and occurs in one percent of the total population. The United States has an estimated five million sufferers of anorexia nervosa reported by physicians, but once again this number may not reflect the true inci!
             dence of the disease since ph...