Eating Disorders: What Teens and Parents Should Know

Photo of torso and hands of a person sitting at a table with a knife and fork cutting into a single piece of broccoli on a white plate.

Eating disorders … what are they and what makes certain people more at risk for developing one?

Parents, take a moment to think back to when you were an adolescent, easily impressionable, striving to be well-liked. You often skimmed through magazines such as J-14, Bop, or Cosmo Girl, looking at rail-thin models and celebrities and thinking, “Wow, I wish I looked like that.” What you didn’t know at the time was that all those images were severely photoshopped to fit the media’s definition of beauty.

Now, consider today’s world where we have constant input from social media and can hide behind filters of what society wants us to believe is “beautiful.” The pressure to conform to an idealized body image can be high. And it isn’t just teens. Unfortunately, eating disorders can affect anyone, regardless of age, racial/ethnic background, body type, or gender.

Anorexia nervosa

Anorexia nervosa is a condition where people avoid or severely restrict food or eat very small quantities of only certain foods. They often obsess with weighing themselves, and while they may be dangerously underweight, they still see themselves as being overweight.

Some people with anorexia may be restrictive while others may binge and purge. Those that are restrictive, limit the amount and type of food they consume, while those that binge-purge also restrict the amount or type of food they eat but may have episodes where they eat large amounts of food in a short time, followed by vomiting or using laxatives to rid their body of what they consumed.

Symptoms of anorexia may include:

Extremely restricted eating and/or intensive and excessive exercise
Extreme thinness (emaciation)
A relentless pursuit of thinness and unwillingness to maintain a normal or healthy weight
Intense fear of gaining weight
Distorted body or self-image that is heavily influenced by perceptions of body weight and shape
Denial of the seriousness of low body weight

This can lead to serious health complications such as:

Thinning of the bones (osteopenia or osteoporosis)
Mild anemia
Muscle wasting and weakness
Brittle hair and nails
Dry and yellowish skin
Growth of fine hair all over the body (lanugo)
Severe constipation
Low blood pressure
Slowed breathing and pulse
Damage to the structure and function of the heart
Drop in internal body temperature, causing a person to feel cold all the time
Lethargy, sluggishness, or feeling tired all the time
Infertility
Brain damage
Multiple organ failure

Bulimia nervosa

People with bulimia have recurrent episodes of eating unusually large amounts of food and feeling a lack of control over their eating, followed by behaviors such as forceful vomiting, excessive use of laxatives or diuretics, fasting, excessive exercise, or a combination of these behaviors. Unlike those with anorexia, those with bulimia may maintain a normal weight or be overweight.

Symptoms and health consequences include:

Chronically inflamed and sore throat
Swollen salivary glands in the neck and jaw area
Worn tooth enamel and increasingly sensitive and decaying teeth from exposure to stomach acid when vomiting
Acid reflux disorder and other gastrointestinal problems
Intestinal distress and irritation from laxative abuse
Severe dehydration from purging
Electrolyte imbalance (too low or too high levels of sodium, calcium, potassium, and other minerals) which can lead to stroke or heart attack

Binge eating

With binge eating disorder, people lose control of their eating and have recurring episodes of eating an unusually large amount of food. However, unlike bulimia, this is not followed by periods of purging, excessive exercise, or fasting. As a result of this, these individuals may be overweight or obese.

Symptoms may include:

Eating unusually large amounts of food in a short amount of time, for example, within two hours
Eating rapidly during binge episodes
Eating even when full or not hungry
Eating until uncomfortably full
Eating alone or in secret to avoid embarrassment
Feeling distressed, ashamed, or guilty about eating
Frequently dieting, possibly without weight loss

Avoidant restrictive food intake disorder

Formerly called selective eating disorder, this condition is most common in middle childhood and occurs when individuals limit the amount or type of a certain food. This is usually not due to a distorted body image or fear of gaining weight. While it is normal for children to go through picky eating phases, a child with this disorder does not eat enough calories to grow and develop properly.

Symptoms include:

Dramatic restriction of types or amount of food eaten
Lack of appetite or interest in food
Dramatic weight loss
Upset stomach, abdominal pain, or other gastrointestinal issues with no other known cause
Limited range of preferred foods that becomes even more limited (“picky eating” that gets progressively worse)

Treatment

Eating disorders are serious and can be deadly, but if detected early, treatment can be very successful in helping a person recover. Treatment modalities may include psychotherapy, medical care with monitoring, nutritional counseling, medications, or a combination of these approaches.

The goals of therapy include restoring adequate nutrition, bringing weight to a healthy level, reducing excessive exercise, and stopping any unwanted behaviors.

In addition, studies show that incorporating family into the treatment plan can improve treatment outcomes. If you or someone you know is suffering or thinks they are suffering from an eating disorder, please contact your primary care provider.