Some tenagers who are obsessed with the need to diet seek psychiatric treatment because they, or their parents,realize that the diet is leading to starvation. Others do not seek treatment but simply begin eating normally again on their own. However, because the disease comes in waves, or bouts, a few victims manage to keep it a secret and so avoid both exposure and treatment. Unfortunately, members of this group are in the most serious danger. Although they may be able to keep their secret right into adulthood, the disease, if untreated, almost always goes out of control, with tragic results. In fact, some victims, like singer Karen Carpenter, have actually died from the physical effects of prolonged starvation.