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Disturbing findings reveal many people battling anorexia are not under the care of a doctor.

ABC NEWS reports, only 32 per cent of people with anorexia are regularly seeing a doctor, according to the interim findings of the Anorexia Nervosa Genetics Initiative at the QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute in Brisbane.

Professor Nick Martin, from QIMR, said the results showed how important it was for parents to watch for the warning signs of anorexia.

“One of the clinical features of this illness is denial, people denying that anything is wrong with them,” he said.

“So we were concerned by the finding that so few of the participants were under medical care.”

While previously Anorexia was thought to be more frequently diagnosed in females across all age groups, a recent population study has suggested that in adolescents there are an equal number of males and females suffering from this illness.

What are the warning signs of Anorexia?
•Skipping meals
•Eating “safe foods” only, low in fat and calories
•Displaying eating rituals (eg slicing food into small pieces)
•Preparing large meals but refusing to eat
•Repetitive weighing
•Frequently looking in mirrors for body flaws
•Consistent complaints of being fat
•Fear of eating in public places

The Butterfly Support Foundation offers support to families experiencing eating disorders – 1800 33 46 73  or visit online

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  • sad illness, pretty obvious signs, good to know

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  • More awareness is needed and thanks for posting this

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  • Thanks for posting link to The Butterfly Foundation

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  • Anorexia is such a sneaky thing, before you know it, you’re child has nearly disappeared. A really hard thing to overcome

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  • This is a very serious issue and definitely needs to be addressed.
    However I know of people who have been accused of the problem that have a genuine auto-immune disease, cannot eat some groups of foods without it making them extremely ill- sometimes admitted to hospital for IV fluids and pain relief, find it very difficult to gain weight even if they eat really large meals and suffer from intolerances of quite a few foods.

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  • I think there should be more awareness of this disease which does take lives. I know there are websites out there that promote anorexia which is very disturbing.

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  • It must be horrible to suffer of anorexia, or bulimia for what that matters.

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  • Such a hard problem to help with – all advice and support necessary

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  • Great tips, this like many other eating disorders are becoming so much more common.

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  • This is so very important. Girls place so much emphasis on how they look that’s it’s easy to slip into the wrong mentality when it comes to food and nutrition. It’s important for parents to know what to say to their daughters so that girls grow up with a healthy relationship to food and their bodies.

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  • Concerning, it certainly needs attention.

    Reply

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