Mike Herman asked:


As we were all teenagers at one time, that is if you are twenty years of age or older today, you know that the teenage years are full problems, peer pressure, stress and the desire to fit in. It is not surprising then, with all of the peer pressure and images from the media, as well as the strong desire to fit in, that eating disorders are most common among teenagers.

1. Eating disorders are known to be the result of a poor self image and/or an unhealthy relationship to food. Most people think of eating disorders as something that affects girls and young women who are dieting. The truth is that these disorders have to do with our relationship to food and issues related to body image and self-esteem, and not just our desire to to loss some weight.

While most people only think anorexia and bulimia when it comes to eating disorders, there are less well-known eating disorders as well, nocturnal eating, pica and binge eating are also characterized by an unhealthy relationship to food and eating. In fact, all eating disorders have one common denominator: an ongoing and unhealthy relationship with food that becomes a disruption in a person’s life.

2. Eating disorders generally affect young women, although they can affect just about anyone, middle aged women and even men. It is estimated that more than 8 million people in the United States are affected with some kind of eating disorder. While those with disorders come from all social and ethnic backgrounds, studies have suggested that young affluent white women are more susceptible to developing an eating disorder.

Most disorders first become evident during adolescence and can develop in young children and pre-teens. When it come to men and doctors report eating disorders among men is increasing, it seems to be most common with athletes who want to and/or feel pressure to compete as they are vulnerable to developing a disorder.

3. These disorders can emerge during periods of stress and change. Doctors don’t yet fully understand why eating disorders are present in some individuals, and not others. But they do have an understanding about the circumstances that may make some people more vulnerable to developing an eating disorder.

Studies have shown that individuals who are experiencing stress, depression, or who have recently experienced some kind of major life change are much more vulnerable to developing the symptoms of an eating disorder.

4. Eating disorders can cause a variety of serious health problems. Many teenagers who become preoccupied with food, body image, and exercise do not understand the health risks posed by their actions.

These health problems include heart problems, stomach problems, irregular menstrual periods, kidney problems, dental problems, hormonal disturbance, dehydration and dry skin, to name just a few. Intervention and hospitalization may become necessary in more severe cases.

5. All of these can be treated successfully. Now more than ever there is a better understanding of eating disorders, and many treatment options and resources are available for teenagers and their families whose lives have been touched by an eating disorder.

Treatment consists of various therapies, including nutritional therapy, psychotherapy, and family and individual counseling. Sometimes prescription drugs are used to treat underlying problems. For instance, antidepressants may be prescribed.



Tammy

Cindy Heller asked:


Eating disorders are found in all age groups nevertheless the highest number is registered in adolescents. Many of those who discover that they have an eating disorder later in life become conscious that it all started in their adolescence.

What Really Causes Eating Disorders

There are in fact many causes to eating disorders such as: self-esteem, wanting to incorporate a group or team, stress, to want to stand out in a way or the other and so on. Eating disorders are both when you over eat or when you starving yourself; either way you are putting your health and sometimes even your life in danger.

Adolescent eating disorders are formed sometimes without even realizing you are doing so, for instance, your girlfriends wear two sizes smaller clothes than you do and you want to look and shop like they do, subconsciously you begin starving yourself so you can lose weight faster.

Overeating can begin the same way but this time round you only get relief from a stressful situation when you eat something you be fond of; the cravings can be both for sweet items or salty but you have to eat them right away even if you have just had your meal.

Dealing With An Adolescent Eating Disorders

It is significant that you observe the eating habits of your children carefully as you will truly by no means know when they may slip into an eating disorder and you should be able to identify it before it is too late. Talk to your children about adolescent eating disorders, make them conscious of the risks involved and they will understand when you give explanation that it can even be their life at stake should they keep up the poor eating habits.

Adolescence is an extremely confusing age throughout which we all have been and as a result you must be very clear when explaining the risks involved with eating disorders. An adolescent with an eating disorder may very well disagree with that he/she has or ever will have such a problem and consequently you must always show support and love without losing your temper. Work with your child consecutively to make him/her admit the existence of such a problem as only then any action can be taken.

Adolescent eating disorders can only be treated if and when the person will admit the same and agree to any help and/or support. Adolescent eating disorders are common and it is moreover common that he/she may not wish to give up this practice yet; as a result, working with your child is very vital in order to convince him/her to agree to help and support.

There are sites accessible which will help you deal and find out how to approach adolescent eating disorders in order to get the best reaction from your child as well as get him/her back into normal healthy eating habits.

Children’s Eating Disorder: This Can Occur at Different Ages

Children aged between fourteen to fifteen begin to suffer children’s eating disorder and this may hit the highest point at the age of eighteen. Girls in their adolescent years discover themselves suffering from children’s eating disorder and the incidence among boys too seems to be on the rise.

While genetics are thought to play an important role in an eating disorder in children self-esteem is rapidly gaining similar status. Furthermore, children who are the subject of abuse, physical mental and sexual are also said to be more susceptible to developing an eating disorder.

More and more younger children have contact to magazines and television programs that seem to glorify that except they are super-skinny, they are fat. This can also effect an eating disorder in children as they strive for acceptance by their peers and adults. Nearly all children are simply trying to please their parents or other influential adults in their life, their look, or the perception they have of their appearance, plays a most important part. These thoughts of how they look can manifest themselves into an eating disorder in children.

To cure the children’s eating disorder, one ought to get the child seen by a physician with no further delay in case there are symptoms that point to the child having eating disorders. The doctor may possibly perform a nutritional assessment as also evaluate the child for depression signs.

The doctor should be capable to rule out other possible causes of weight loss prior to proceeding further and may not consider psychiatric disorders, drug abuse, and inflammatory bowel disease as being symptomatic of children’s eating disorder. An illness such as anorexia may cause the child to faint from low blood pressure or have electrolyte disorders or even be incapable to tolerate cold, constipation and show signs of depleted energy levels.



Gary

Corwin Brown asked:


Eating disorders afflict millions of people, thousands of which will die from them yearly. There is good news though, eating disorders can be beaten. You do not have to be a prisoner to this anymore. You have the power within yourself to beat this and you will. Recovery takes a lot of time and hard work, but in the end it is all worth it. You will finally be free and you will love yourself. When recovery happens you will be able to look in the mirror and say, “Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest one of all” and it will be you

A person with an eating disorder may have started out just eating smaller or larger amounts of food than usual, but at some point, the urge to eat less or more spirals out of control. Eating disorders are very complex, and despite scientific research to understand them, the biological, behavioral and social underpinnings of these illnesses remain elusive.

Up to 10 million teens develop eating disorders, abnormal attitudes and behaviors with foods, which include anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa. For most kids, eating disorders begin when they are 11 to 13 years old. While they are more common among girls, boys can experience eating disorders too. Unfortunately, many kids and teens successfully hide these disorders from their families for months or years.

Women are more likely than men to have eating disorders. They usually start in the teenage years and often occur along with depression, anxiety disorders and substance abuse.

Some research suggests that media images contribute to the rise in the incidence of eating disorders. Most women in advertising, movies, TV, and sports programs are very thin, and this may lead girls to think that the ideal of beauty is thinness. Boys, too, may try to emulate a media ideal by drastically restricting their eating and compulsively exercising.

Eating disorders frequently appear during adolescence or young adulthood, but some reports indicate that they can develop during childhood or later in adulthood. Women and girls are much more likely than males to develop an eating disorder. Men and boys account for an estimated 5 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.

Eating disorders are more common in cultures focused on weight loss and body image. Body dissatisfaction and dieting may lead to unhealthy and dangerous eating behaviors. Sometimes, these eating patterns can lead to eating disorders. Fortunately, there has been an increased awareness about these types of illnesses. Eating disorders are treatable.

Anorexia can slow the heart rate and lower blood pressure, increasing the chance of heart failure. Those who use drugs to stimulate vomiting, bowel movements, or ********* are also at high risk for heart failure. Starvation can also lead to heart failure, as well as damage the brain. Anorexia may also cause hair and nails to grow brittle. Skin may dry out, become yellow, and develop a covering of soft hair called lanugo. Mild anemia, swollen joints, reduced muscle mass, and light-headedness also commonly occur as a consequence of this eating disorder. Severe cases of anorexia can lead to brittle bones that break easily as a result of calcium loss.



Charlene

Jerry Cahill asked:


Adolescence can be a very stressful time when people begin gaining independence and discovering who they are. The teen years are when people establish new friendships and also when they find that their body has begun to develop. When a person enters puberty, it can be a very stressful, confusing and frightening period.

A lucky few can make the transition from childhood to adulthood with no major problems. However, many who may develop a teen eating disorder as a way to cope with these changing times.

A teen eating disorder may cause someone to worry that the weight that he or she is gaining will become permanent. This can cause panic and desperate efforts to prevent or shed any weight gain. Teens may be ignorant of the fact that these physical changes will ease with time and that their weight will stabilize without the need for dieting. The teen eating disorder may also be attributed to going through puberty which is a testing time, especially if the teenager also has to undergo sexual advances.

In addition, teens may be under great pressure to perform and excel. Pressure to conform to society’s ‘ideal’ body image may lead to eating disorders. Teens see touched up pictures of models and assume they must look the same way. In an effort to become thin, teens may develop anorexia, bulemia, or other eating disorders. Many teens think that being thin leads to happiness, which can be a strong factor in eating disorders.

Another important factor that may contribute to a teen eating disorder is the home environment. Teens who are subject to emotional, physical, or sexual abuse may develop eating disorders to have control over some aspect of their lives. Teen eating disorders may also help block out painful feelings.

Schools and families can play an active role in preventing teen eating disorders. By teaching teens and families about the warning signs and problems with eating disorders, we may be able to prevent or quickly treat cases of anorexia, bulemia, and other eating disorders. Educators can also be trained to build self-esteem and show teens that they don’t have to develop an eating disorder to be successful or beautiful. Through education, prevention, and good treatment, we can get a handle on teen eating disorders.

One Common disorder is Bulimia Eating Disorder. A bulimia eating disorder is a particular kind of eating disorder in which a person eats large amounts of food in a relatively short time of time, and then purges it back up later on. Purging can be done in several methods, including: producing oneself throw up; and taking laxatives, pills, or liquids that increase how fast food moves throughout your body and leads to a bowel movement.



Ashley