Difference between anorexia, and just being skinny, what's the difference?

[ImStillAnAnimal]

Sorry for sounding overally dumb.
But I'm serious.
I overheard a girl in my class speaking with the gymnastics/sports teacher, that she had anaorexia.
Of course I'm not telling anyone!
Anyways, I'm pretty sure that she is underweight, but there is another girl in my class, that is slightly skinnier than her.

The skinnier girl, seems to be more happy, or at least she is when I talk to her.
So why is the happier girl, skinnier?

I've known the anorxic girl for about 7 years (she went to my middle school) and she's always been skinny.

I don't know much about either girl, but the anoroxic girl, doesn't seem to deal with stress, and she doesn't seem self conscous. I may be wrong.

The skinnier girl, doesn't seem to be unhappy or anything, so why is she so skinny?

[fauchelevent]

Anorexia is actually a weight related mental disorder, so whereas the one girl might be skinnier than the anorexic girl, she hasn't got the harmful thought processes that go with it. Anorexia is constantly thinking there's something wrong with the way you look, which is something the skinnier girl might not have a problem with. The skinnier girl might just be naturally skinny and the anorexic girl might just be hiding her insecurities when people are around.

[ImStillAnAnimal]

Am I so blind? Seriously!

I notice when girls say they´re fat etc. But none of them are underweight.
The only underweight girls in my class, are those two, and they never complain etc.

I'm a 15 year old guy, and I run 2 km everyday to lose some weight (slightly overweight) and improve my fitness, so I can higher my gymnastics grade in school.

Could it not be anorexia? She said to the teacher she had an eating disorder, but that she will be diagnosed as anorexic soon. I don't know if that was just a guess, or not.

But damn, I feel bad for her.

Last year was probably the worst year of my life. severe anxiety, and moderate stress and depression, so I know how it feels.
But I gained weight :0

[fauchelevent]

A lot of the time that's not necessarily anorexia, just poor body image, but it's still serious. Anorexia is just a step further than saying they're fat. There's a possibility it could be something other than anorexia, such as bulimia, but they're very closely related. Anorexia is extremely common in teenagers, including boys and girls. My boyfriend's in recovery from his eating disorder, so yeah, it really does such :/

[Jxpxtxr]

Anorexia is a mental illness while just being skinny isn't. You can be skinny because of a high metabolism but being anorexic means you're skinny because you're restricting food and starving yourself - that leads to depression and many other health problems. But please don't think anorexics just wanna be skinny, it's way more complicated than that and this is coming from someone who's struggling with anorexia since years.

[ImStillAnAnimal]

If you're already skinny, can you get anorexia? I mean, that if you've been skinny your whole life.
I know it differs, so "it depends" will do.

[ImStillAnAnimal]

I'm also sorry for you, and hope your anorexia will improve!

[Jxpxtxr]

yes, actually skinny to average people are way more prone to developing anorexia than overweight people but really there is not one reason to why someone would become anorexic that applies to everyone, it depends from person to person but according to doctors it's all about "control".

&I think you hope I'll recover from it lol and no worries, I already am making good progress :)

[ImStillAnAnimal]

Thumbs up for the last part!

[Cookies_AndMilk]

Lol she may have a higher metabolism or a different diet, or even a genetic reason. Skinny doesn't equate to anorexia. Anorexic people have a disorder, they believe they're fat no matter how small they get and they purposely starve themselves of food. One's a disease and one is just natural. Some skinny people can't help that they're skinny.

[ImStillAnAnimal]

But what difference is there between the skinny girl, and the anorexic girl? Both have been skinny, there whole life. It's just weird why the anoroxic girl, have been diagnosed with a eating disorder now, and not earlier.

[Cookies_AndMilk]

Because Anorexia is a mental disease. Being skinny is not a disease. A person who is skinny can be so for a variety of reasons out of their control. A person with anorexia has an extremely unhealthy perception of their weight. Someone who is anorexic purposely seeks out to lose weight no matter how small they get, there is no limit. They could drop down to 96lbs and still try to lose 10 more lbs. It doesn't matter how much weight is lost, they need to lose more. Skinny people are just skinny because that's their body type, the same way your body just happens to look the way it does. A lot of skinny people eat a lot of food but don't gain weight because of their metabolism. Food burns quicker in their bodies and that keeps them slim. Skinny people can't really control being skinny. Anorexic people are people who are sick and starving and has a lot of other health consequences.

[Anonymous]

Skinny is like being chubby. Chubby isn't obese but it's not exactly ideal. Skinny isn't anorexic but it's not exactly ideal. Anorexic is a medical condition that needs care. That's something you'd need serious medical attention for. Same for obese, because both can kill you.

Often times people say skinny when really they mean the girl is slim. Slim is perfectly normal and healthy. Skinny is not normal and leaves a girl at risk of being anorexic.

[Opinion Owner]

And like the other girls said it's also a mental disorder typically.

[ImStillAnAnimal]

They are definitely skinny, both of them, not slim. I'm understanding now, she just wants control over something.

[sherbearee]

The anorexic girl would be intentionally tryng to lose weight, well below the reccommended for her body type and age... this usually comes with the emotional and psychological struggle
wheras the skinny girl would have a natually thinner body shape or high metabolism, and not purpously lose weight... her mind isn't constantly battling with her body image and thus appears "happier"

[ImStillAnAnimal]

Can someone, skinny, that has been skinny for the most of their lives, become anorexic? I'm asking, because she said she would be diagnosed next week, that is kind of weird, so she MAY be exaggerating.

[sherbearee]

Yes.. They can develop a skewed way of viewing their body and developed a mental disorder over time. Generally people sufferig through anorexica tend not to be so blunt about the conditionn at first... But you never know

[Anonymous]

Anorexia is a mental disorder, much like anxiety, self harm or OCD. The anorexic has a great deal of compulsive thoughts and distress over controlling her food intake and weight. Looks are generally not as big of issue as being in control. Being thin is just being thin and can happen naturally.

[ImStillAnAnimal]

Ok, so a skinny girl can get anorexia? Last year has been shit to me, so I know how it feels. But I'm not sure that anxiety and self control is related. I've suffered through severe anxiety, but things may differ from person to person.

[Opinion Owner]

A skinny girl could be anorexic, or she could just be naturally skinny. Some young people have very high metabolisms and don't put on weight until they're older. Or she could have a physical illness. It's hard to know why someone is skinny.

Some new brain scans just suggest that eating disorders are effected by similar brain activity as anxiety (such as compulsive thinking) or OCD that includes repetition of thoughts, disconnect with reality, dread, compulsive behavior, etc. The unnatural thinness is a symptom, more than a cause of anorexia.

[Gerduxas]

I don't think she has anorexia. Anorexia is a mental illness, and not one a person would want to broadcast. She may as well just be saying it to get away with not doing crap in the class.

[ImStillAnAnimal]

She said she would be diagnosed with anorexia next week, and that she's already diagnosed with a eating disorder.
It's just a little surprising to me that she's getting a eating disorder now, eventhough she's been pretty much the same "skinniness" for as long as I've known her.

I don't think that she's doing it because she wants to skip gymnastics, because she's average at sports.

It's probably not attention either, because, at least, the guys in my class don't know about it.

I dunno what the reason is, but there's a 40% chance, that she's exaggerating. But who knows?

[Gerduxas]

I'm not a doctor and I don't know the girl either, but no two girls are the same. What's biologically normal for one, may end up being an illness for another. Perhaps the other girl just stays active and has good metabolism? Hence why she looks skinny? Whereas the 'anorexic' girl could have an eating disorder which could be classified more as a mental illness rather than physical.