Anorexia is a complex mental disorder in which severe emotional distress is expressed through disordered behavior involving dietary restriction. Anorexia causes extremely dangerous health problems such as infertility, hair loss, kidney and liver damage, irregular heartbeat, and some extreme cases can even lead to death (NHS, 2016). It is estimated that over 1.6 million people in the UK are directly affected by eating disorders and that one in 250 women will suffer from anorexia at some point in their lives (Beat Eating Disorders, 2016) . A basic 12-week specialist inpatient course of treatment under the NHS costs around £25,000 (BBC News, 2003). In 2015, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg announced £150 million in government funding for young people with eating disorders and a commitment to reducing waiting times for treatment (The Independent, 2015) . Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on 'Why violent video games should not be banned'? Get the original essay Eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia have cost the country over £15 billion per year. year in 2016, but they continue to increase (The Independent, 2015). The research project that is going to be carried out will focus on eating disorders, anorexia as there is an increasing percentage of eating disorders in the UK, and this percentage continues to increase every year. The most recent figures from January 2014 reveal that there was an 8 per cent national increase in the number of hospital admissions for an eating disorder in the 12 months to October 2013 (Anorexia and Bulimia Care, 2015). In recent years, eating disorders have become an increasingly prominent topic in the media. This is costing the NHS a large amount of money, as mentioned previously, the figure of £15 billion cited previously includes not only treatment but also educating the population, raising awareness to try and reduce the rate of disorders of food as a whole, putting a strain on the NHS. and increased pressure to combat anorexia. Social media has indeed made its way into every classroom, home and workplace. Whether used by children, teenagers or adults, everyone seems to be present in the world of social media. With a wide range of social media platforms used by all age groups, including Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat and Twitter, it can be increasingly difficult to escape the pressures and influences of social media. The latest Ofcom research suggests that almost half of young people aged 8 to 17 have a profile on a social networking site such as Facebook (Teaching times, 2016). The power of social media is such that the number of users worldwide is expected to reach some 2.95 billion by 2020 (Statista, 2017). This may be linked to the hypothesis that the growth rate of eating disorders is also due to the increase in young people using social media, including cyberbullying, accessibility to be able to find forums, sites to give advice, tips and information to help. suffering from eating disorders and anorexia, such as "pro-ana" websites. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get a personalized essay. The Independent, 2017 suggested that pro-ana websites were easily promoted..