Teen Eating Disorders

Treatment Teen Eating Disorders

Teen eating disorders can be physically and emotionally devastating. Symptoms such as extreme weight loss, changes in countenance and appearance, physical exhaustion, and/or anxiety and depression are dangerous for teens and frightening for parents. When it comes to teen eating disorders, professional support is essential.

Most parents do not realize how common teen eating disorders are. According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychology, as many as 10 in 100 young women suffer from an eating disorder. And many teenage boys suffer as well. In most cases, the onset of eating disorders occurs in adolescence or early adulthood. In fact, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Agency reports that 95 percent of people with eating disorders are between the ages of 12 and 25.

30 million people in the US currently suffer from an eating disorder.
Half of these people also meet the criteria for depression.
Among high school students, 44 percent of girls and 15 percent of boys are trying to lose weight at any given time.
Only 10 percent of people with eating disorders receive treatment.
35 percent of normal dieters progress to obsessive, pathological dieting, and 20 to 25 percent of pathological dieters progress to an eating disorder.
Every 62 minutes, a person dies because of an eating disorder.
The teen anorexia mortality rate for females is 12 times higher than the rate of all causes of death for teen girls.
Half of teens with anorexia or bulimia have a full recovery.

This last statistic is vitally important. Despite the extent and the danger of teen eating disorders, there is hope.

Teen eating disorders are mental health challenges. Hence, teen eating disorders produce extreme disturbances in teenage eating behaviors. These disorders include anorexia, bulimia, and binge-eating disorder.

Adolescents with teen eating disorders tend to be moody, anxious, and/or depressed. Indeed, most adolescents suffering from teen eating disorders will deny that they have a problem. In many cases, they’ll blame everything but their relationship to food.

Adolescents suffering from teenage eating disorders often tell a common story. Once the eating disorder takes hold, they feel trapped. Hence, they think nobody can help them.

However, as we all know, eating is a part of daily life for everyone. Therefore, the lives of adolescents with teenage eating disorders revolve around suffering. As a consequence, nothing is more important to them than obeying the twisted rules of the eating disorder. Soon, everyday thoughts and perceptions are dominated by the teen eating disorder.

Many young people struggle with eating and body image issues. But it’s important to learn how to identify the difference between these issues and a teen eating disorder.

Signs and Symptoms of Teen Eating Disorders

Without question, teen eating disorders have become common in this country. Hence a parent needs to be aware of the signs and symptoms. Thus, you need to understand the range and severity of teenage eating disorders.

When it comes to learning the signs and symptoms of a teen eating disorder, it’s helpful to understand that these disorders produce both behavioral signs and physical symptoms.

Making excuses to avoid eating
Always on a diet, even when not needed
Over-exercising; obsessed with exercise to lose weight
Secretly storing food or eating alone, particularly at night
A distorted body image; body dysmorphia (an obsessive focus on a perceived flaw in one’s appearance)
Compulsive use of laxatives, diet pills, and weight-loss aids
An intense, obsessive focus on calories and caloric intake
An unwillingness to discuss weight gains or weight losses
Resistance to joining social situations where eating is expected
Extended bathroom use during or right after meals

These behavioral signs can appear in adolescent girls and boys going through normal child development. Still, when teens repeatedly exhibit a number of these behaviors, parents should investigate further. Warning signs of a teen eating disorder need to be heeded.

Unhealthy loss or gain of weight
Repeated weight cycling, going up and down
Constipation or vomiting
Skin rash or dry skin
Erosion of tooth enamel; dental cavities
Loss of hair and/or nail quality
Obvious signs of exhaustion, insomnia
Irregular menstruation or absence of menstruation
Easily bruised; more prone to physical injury
Cold sensitivity; unable to tolerate cold

Most Common Types of Teen Eating Disorders

The three most common types are teen anorexia nervosa, teen bulimia nervosa, and teen binge-eating disorders.

Teen Anorexia Nervosa Nervosa

Anorexia nervosa is the most well-known eating disorder. In addition, it has the highest death rate of any mental disorder, resulting from starvation, metabolic collapse, or suicide.

The Greek word anorexia means “without appetite”; the Latin word nervosa means “nervous condition.” Anorexia nervosa was first recognized as a medical condition in the Victorian era. In fact, Queen Victoria’s personal physician, Sir William Gull, established the condition as part of the official medical lexicon in 1873.

From the onset, teenage anorexia is defined by three key features. An adolescent suffering from teen anorexia eats less and less, has a distorted body image, and is intensely afraid of gaining weight or becoming fat.

Often, such a fear makes little or no sense. In many cases, the teen may weigh less than what is normal for their age, height, and gender.

However, this is not always the result. Often, adolescents suffering from teen anorexia maintain a relatively normal weight for some time. Indeed, an adolescent can suffer from teen anorexia without appearing anorexic at all.

Even if a teen with anorexia is not drastically losing weight, it’s important to catch the teen eating disorder early, to prevent permanent physical damage. Therefore, knowing the signs and symptoms of teen anorexia can help.

Teen Bulimia Nervosa

Bulimia is a Greek word meaning “ravenous hunger.” Also called binge-purge syndrome, teen bulimia nervosa is a habitual disturbance in eating behaviors. As a result, teen bulimia is characterized by frequent episodes of excessive food intake. These episodes are followed by self-induced vomiting or some other method of purging the food from the body, such as laxatives, diuretics, or diet pills.

Adolescents suffering from teenage bulimia often maintain a normal weight or are even overweight. To help, here are some of the signs and symptoms of teen bulimia:

Severe dieting or extremely restrictive eating habits
Obsessive fear of putting on weight
Low self-esteem tied to body dysmorphia
Lethargy and general exhaustion
Muscle wasting and extreme thinness
Problems concentrating, combined with extreme sensitivity

Although these are only some of the symptoms, they are often the easiest ones for a parent to notice. Indeed, when it comes to teen anorexia, it’s always better to be safe.

Repeated binge eating, particularly of junk foods and sweets
Constant trips to the bathroom during and after meals
Excessive buying and use of laxatives, diuretics, and/or diet pills
A sore throat for no obvious health reason, with swollen salivary glands in the neck and the jaw
Indigestion, acid reflux, and gastrointestinal problems
Gum disease, bad teeth, and bleeding gums