Anorexia Nervosa Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by voluntary starvation and exercise stress. Anorexia nervosa is a complex disease, involving psychological, sociological and physiological components. A person who is suffering from anorexia is referred to as 'anorexic' or (less commonly) 'anorectic'. The term is frequently but incorrectly shortened to anorexia, which simply refers to the medical symptom of lost appetite.
Anorectic can also refer to appetite-suppressing drugs.