Nova: Dying To Be Thin

You Can Be Too thin - The Disturbing Truth Behind Anorexia, Bulimia, and America's Body Obsession

A 14-year-old looks at her image and says, "I see somebody that is fat and ugly and a disappointment." She is like a growing number of young American girls afflicted with such eating disorders as anorexia nervosa and bulimia. Tormented by an irrational fear of being fat, an estimated eight-million young women are themselves - sometimes to death.

It's no wonder eighty percent of women are dissatisfied with their bodies. Driven by the media flood of waif-like images of popular actresses, models, dancers and celebrities - who can weigh nearly twenty-five percent less than the average American woman - young girls are obsessed with an unattainable image of perfection.

Dying to Be Thin introduces you to students, ballet dancers, fashion models and other young women who are seeking recovery or have conquered their disease. Plus, you'll discover how leading eating disorder specialists are making dramatic advances in the diagnosis and treatment of these two devastating diseases. Go behind the scenes with NOVA for a courageous and candid look at America's body obsession.