If you suspect that you or a loved one is suffering from this disorder, seek advice from a physician or other qualfied health-care practitioner. Richard Morton first introduced European physicians to the disorder with his medical publications in London in 1689. The history of anorexia reaches far back into the sands of time, and its roots are buried equally deep within the female psyche. Avoiding Responsibility . Adolescence, with its wildly elevated hormonal levels and dizzying physical changes, can be a frightening time.
Teenage girls have the additional burden of physicality.
Although she was writing in 1989, that statement is equally true today. Images of razor-thin, busty models can be found in most popular magazines. There are additional pressures. Parents of anorexics often have exceedingly high expectations for their daughters 4 . Renowned psychiatrist Hilde Bruch has noted that the inability to measure up leads to low self- esteem 5 .