In a heartbreaking incident, an 18-year-old girl from India's southern state of Kerala, has died due to complications from anorexia nervosa, following an extreme water fasting regimen influenced by online platforms.
The young woman had abstained from food for nearly six months, with her condition deteriorating rapidly before she was admitted to the ICU at Thalassery Co-operative Hospital.
Dr. Nagesh Manohar Prabhu, a consultant physician at the hospital, shared the details of her condition. "She was hardly 24 kg and bedridden. Her sugar levels, sodium, and blood pressure were critically low. Despite ventilator support, her condition failed to improve, and she succumbed."
The young girl's struggle with her eating disorder, which lasted for over five months, was marked by an obsessive obsession with weight loss. During this period, she survived primarily on hot water, concealing her eating habits from her family. Her case is a tragic example of how extreme dieting and eating disorders can have fatal consequences.
Anorexia Nervosa: A Dangerous Eating Disorder
Anorexia nervosa, the disorder the teen was battling, is a severe and dangerous eating disorder. It is characterized by an obsessive fear of gaining weight, leading individuals to adopt extreme behaviors like food restriction or even complete avoidance of eating, despite being underweight. Those suffering from anorexia often perceive themselves as overweight, regardless of their actual body weight.
Crash diets and water fasting have become common trends among those seeking rapid weight loss. However, medical experts have repeatedly warned against such practices, citing their potential to cause severe health complications, including malnutrition, organ failure, and, as in this case, death.
The lack of medical supervision and the harmful influences of online trends continue to put vulnerable individuals at risk. Health professionals urge people to approach weight loss with caution and to prioritize safe, sustainable methods over extreme measures that can have lasting, and sometimes deadly, effects on the body.
