Eating Disorder In Teens.

Eating disorder is particularly seen in the teenagers and mostly in girls as compared to the boys. A person with an eating disorder ?typically starves himself? Though the exact cause of this disorder is not clear, this disorder is said to be a combination of various factors like genetics, physiological and social. The cause of eating disorder in teenagers is majorly the concern about their own appearance and weight and because of self-consciousness. Eating disorder can result in severe ?physical health problems? Therefore, the treatment of eating disorder for teens needs to be undertaken timely, if suspected for an eating disorder.

Eating disorder is classified into two categories, anorexia and bulimia. A teenager affected by anorexia is obsessed with being thin. This result in refusal to eat since that will lead to increase in weight. Also, such teens start counting the calories in food. On the other hand, teens affected with bulimia will eat a lot of food at a time and then throw it up, the objective again being not to gain weight and become fat. This too is a compulsive disorder.

What you might not know is that many experts recognize that vegetarianism is sometimes the first sign of an eating disorder in teens. That doesn't mean that you have an eating disorder or that every teen who is a vegetarian has an eating disorder.

There are three types of eating disorders: anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and ED-NOS (Eating Disorders Not Otherwise Specified). Young women with these disorders often have an intense fear of gaining weight and a distorted body image. The phrase "body image" means the thoughts and feelings people have about their physical appearance. Young women with eating disorders may start to eat less because they are afraid of gaining weight. Sometimes they binge (overeat, consuming very large quantities of food) and sometimes purge this food (by self inducing vomiting, over-exercising or using laxatives). Eating disorders affect a person's physical and emotional health. They are very dangerous illnesses and can be fatal if they are not treated.

Binge eating symptoms are also present in bulimia nervosa. The formal diagnosis criteria are similar in that subjects must binge at least twice per week for a minimum period of three months. Unlike in bulimia, those with BED do not purge, fast or engage in strenuous exercise after binge eating. Additionally, bulimics are typically of normal weight, are underweight but have been overweight before, or slightly overweight, whereas those with binge eating disorder are typically overweight or obese.

There is no single cause for eating disorders. Although concerns about weight and body shape play a role in all eating disorders, the actual cause of these disorders appear to result from many factors, including cultural and family pressures and emotional and personality disorders. Genetics and biologic factors may also play a role.

to 15 percent of patients with anorexia or bulimia and an estimated 35 percent of those with binge-eating disorder. Eating disorders are real, treatable medical illnesses with complex underlying psychological and biological causes.

This does not mean, though, that males do not get eating disorders. It is generally the case that males are less likely to seek help for problems of any kind, plus most media attention is on eating disorders in females. Thus, males may be unaware that their problem is an eating disorder or may be reluctant to speak about it.

Overall, semi-vegetarians, or those who ate some animal products, were more likely to engage in weight-control practices but less likely to exercise than restricted vegetarians. Semi-vegetarians, the authors suggest, may be using the diet as another form of weight control and may be a target for programs to prevent eating disorders.

All vegetarians weighed themselves more often and were more likely to say that they were dissatisfied with their bodies than non-vegetarians. Vegetarians were also more likely to report that they cared less about being healthy although they cared more about eating healthy foods.

You should have your child seen by a physician as soon as possible if you think she might have an eating disorder. At this visit, your doctor will probably perform a nutritional assessment, including taking a look at her eating patterns, daily caloric intake, measuring her height, weight and body mass index, and evaluating her for depression.

Bulimia nervosa is another type of eating disorder. Girls who have bulimia often binge, eating a lot of food out of control even if they are not hungry. People with bulimia often feel they have no control over their eating. After bingeing, people feel guilty and anxious and then they want to get rid of food by vomiting or by exercising. People with bulimia may eat in private and hide what they eat from others or eat until they are uncomfortable and exhausted. This illness can make people feel afraid or ashamed.

Your doctor will also try and rule out other causes of weight loss and decreased appetite, including other psychiatric disorders (depression, obsessive compulsive disorder), drug abuse, inflammatory bowel disease (which is usually accompanied by vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain), hyperthyroidism, diabetes (usually accompanied by frequent urination (polyuria) and excessive drinking (polydipsia)), and other medical problems. However, children with most of these medical problems don't have a preoccupation with food or a distorted body image.

Brownell: You raise a very good point. In a high school or middle school, health professionals face this fine line where you want to encourage healthy eating but not exert undue pressure for people to be thin.

Some physical signs that are found in patients with bulimia include an enlargement of the parotid glands (causing chubby cheeks), dental erosions (especially on the back surfaces), and having calluses on their knuckles. Other signs found in teens with eating disorders include having dry and brittle hair, losing hair, and having muscle wasting.

The treatment of eating disorders is slow and difficult (and sometimes requires hospitalization) and should be overseen by a mental health professional that is familiar with treating patients with this disorder to begin psychotherapy and behavior modification. Patients with anorexia also require nutritional and medical intervention to make dietary recommendations, ensure a slow and steady weight gain and correct the medical complications.

Bulimia is eating a lot of food at once (called bingeing), and then throwing up or using laxatives to remove the food from the body (called purging). After a binge, some bulimics fast (don't eat) or overexercise to keep from gaining weight. People with bulimia may also use water pills, laxatives or diet pills to "control" their weight. People with bulimia often try to hide their bingeing and purging. They may hide food for binges. Bulimics are usually close to normal weight, but their weight may go up and down.

EDNOS is an illness in which someone has some, but not all, of the symptoms of anorexia or bulimia. For example, young women struggling with EDNOS may only binge eat or they may have periods of restrictive eating (days or months) followed by periods of overeating or binge eating. They may be at a very low weight, but not have anorexia because they still get their menstrual period. Or young women with EDNOS may maintain a stable weight that is within a medically safe range, but still have many of the other symptoms and medical complications of eating disorders.

It's healthy to watch what you eat and to exercise. What isn't healthy is worrying all the time about your weight and what you eat. People with eating disorders do harmful things to their bodies because of their obsession about their weight.