Answer:
Anorexia nervosa or Anorexia
Step-by-step explanation:
Anorexia nervosa is a serious psychological condition and a potentially life threatening eating disorder in which the individual loses more weight than is healthy for their height and age. The condition commonly involves emotional challenges, an unrealistic body image and an exaggerated fear of becoming overweight or obese even when their weight is very low.
A person with Anorexia nervosa, like the case of Patty, will deliberately restrict food intake generally due to the fear of being or becoming fat or overweight, even when her body mass index (BMI) is low.
N.B: BMI is a statistical measure of a person's weight scaled according to his/her weight, used to estimate if the person is over or under weight.
A person suffering from Anorexia may also practice excessive exercise (aerobics in Patty's case), use laxatives to force weight loss, induce vomiting. The condition is characterized by pyschological signs and symptoms including- excessive concern about being fat, frequently measuring and weighing themselves and inspecting in mirrors (like Patty's case), refusing to eat etc.
The cause of Anorexia nervosa is currently unknown but is thought to be a result of genetic, psychological and environmental factors. Anorexia nervosa is usually severe and complicated as eating disorders is reported to have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness.