Anorexia (an-o-REK-see-uh) nervosa — often simply called anorexia — is an eating disorder characterized by an abnormally low body weight, ...Scheduleyourappointmentnowforsafein-personcare.Learnmore:MayoClinicfactsaboutcoronavirusdisease2019(COVID-19)Our COVID-19patient andvisitorguidelines,plustrustedhealthinformationLateston COVID-19vaccination bysite:ArizonapatientvaccinationupdatesArizona,FloridapatientvaccinationupdatesFlorida,RochesterpatientvaccinationupdatesRochesterandMayoClinicHealthSystempatientvaccinationupdatesMCHSSkiptositenavigationSkiptoContentThiscontentdoesnothaveanEnglishversion.ThiscontentdoesnothaveanArabicversion.SectionsforAnorexianervosaSymptoms&causesDiagnosis&treatmentDoctors&departmentsPrintOverviewAnorexia(an-o-REK-see-uh)nervosa—oftensimplycalledanorexia—isaneatingdisordercharacterizedbyanabnormallylowbodyweight,anintensefearofgainingweightandadistortedperceptionofweight.Peoplewithanorexiaplaceahighvalueoncontrollingtheirweightandshape,usingextremeeffortsthattendtosignificantlyinterferewiththeirlives.Topreventweightgainortocontinuelosingweight,peoplewithanorexiausuallyseverelyrestricttheamountoffoodtheyeat.Theymaycontrolcalorieintakebyvomitingaftereatingorbymisusinglaxatives,dietaids,diureticsorenemas.Theymayalsotrytoloseweightbyexercisingexcessively.Nomatterhowmuchweightislost,thepersoncontinuestofearweightgain.Anorexiaisn'treallyaboutfood.It'sanextremelyunhealthyandsometimeslife-threateningwaytotrytocopewithemotionalproblems.Whenyouhaveanorexia,youoftenequatethinnesswithself-worth.Anorexia,likeothereatingdisorders,cantakeoveryourlifeandcanbeverydifficulttoovercome.Butwithtreatment,youcangainabettersenseofwhoyouare,returntohealthiereatinghabitsandreversesomeofanorexia'sseriouscomplications.Products&ServicesBook:MayoClinicFamilyHealthBook,5thEditionNewsletter:MayoClinicHealthLetter—DigitalEditionShowmoreproductsfromMayoClinicSymptomsThephysicalsignsandsymptomsofanorexianervosaarerelatedtostarvation.Anorexiaalsoincludesemotionalandbehavior