However, for an anorexic to have the motivation to seek treatment, she must recognize that she is indeed ill. Chen Kuan-yu points out that anorexics reduce their food intake day by day, so that an extended period of time is needed before family members realize that the victim might have become too thin.
但若要患者有就診的動機，必需是患者本身有「病識感」，承認自己已走入了困境。陳冠宇指出，厭食者每天逐次減少食物攝取，須經過一段長時間後才會被家人察覺出「是不是太瘦了？」