ABSTRACT
The first chapter provides an introduction of the juvenile anorexia disorder. Firstly, the dangerousness and life-threatening nature of this pathology is presented along with some data showing how the treatments available are often little effective. Secondly, the authors describe the subtle and paradoxical nature of anorexia which is considered by its victims the most “beloved” of all pathologies and often embraced as a virtue instead of as a disorder. In the second part of the chapter, the main psychological and social elements influencing the development of the disorder are discussed: social desirability, biological effects of food restriction on the human body, the impact of modern aesthetic models in fashion, the influence of opulence and food availability in modern society and the ineffectiveness and paradoxical effect of public information.
