When their children begin talking about dieting, most parents smile indulgently and do not worry. In figure-conscious America, it is quite natural for young people to desire a slim figure. However, for some teenagers, dieting is no laughing matter. For them, dieting is not a momentary whim that will be pursued and forgotten: instead,it is the symptom (sign) of a serious emotional disorder called anorexia nervosa, a disease that can have terrible and even fatal consequences.