Signs your teen could have an eating disorder
Do you have a child with an eating disorder? A harmful eating habit is never an isolated condition and usually an expression of severe emotional pain, and other behaviours are inevitably involved: depression, personality disorders, impaired relationships, and more. While eating disorders can affect both boys and girls, they are more common in teenaged girls …
Do you have a child with an eating disorder? A harmful eating habit is never an isolated condition and usually an expression of severe emotional pain, and other behaviours are inevitably involved: depression, personality disorders, impaired relationships, and more. While eating disorders can affect both boys and girls, they are more common in teenaged girls and can last into adulthood. The onset can be early in life, so knowing what to look for is crucial to recognising the problem in time and seeking proper treatment.
Body Shaming
Recently there have been several cases on social media of body shaming. Teens are made to feel ashamed of their bodies, and as a result, some may resort to eating disorders or fad diets to lose weight fast.
Did you know that anorexia nervosa affects as many as one in every 100 females, and bulimia often starts in the late teens and early adulthood?
What causes eating disorders?
Girls often feel pressured to be skinny and attempt to maintain an unhealthy weight. This need intensifies, and the weight keeps coming off. Over time, significant damage is done to the body. Below are 10 signs to watch for that may help you catch a potential eating disorder before it becomes a real issue. It’s important to take note, however, that these signs don’t always indicate your teen has an eating disorder, so if you’re in doubt, speak to a healthcare professional for advice.
- Wearing baggy clothes
While this alone is not an indicator of an eating disorder, in some cases it can indicate a problem. The skinnier girls get, the more self-conscious they may feel about their weight. They’ll know others are noticing the changes in their bodies and will want to take steps to avoid the stares and questions. This may be especially important if your daughter has never worn baggy clothes and suddenly begins doing so.
- Loss of hair
Hair loss could be a sign that your child has an eating disorder. This is because malnourishment can cause hair to shed.
- Secretive eating
Some people who suffer from an eating disorder starve themselves throughout the day, then purge late at night when no one else is around. Binge eating is characterised by uncontrolled overeating. A good way to monitor this is to keep track of your refrigerator and pantry before going to bed at night. Then take another look in the morning to see whether or not large quantities of food are missing.
- Scratches and cuts on the hands
If you notice cuts or scratches on your child’s hands or fingers, seek professional help. Bulimics shove their fingers down their throats to gag themselves and get rid of the food they just consumed. When this occurs, it can cause cuts, which can worsen over time. This will make them very noticeable as they will always be in or around the same place on the skin.
- Toothaches
When weight is dropped rapidly, toothaches can occur due to a vitamin or mineral deficiency.
- A change in eating schedule
If your teen has developed an irregular eating pattern, try to find out why this is the case. People suffering from eating disorders often try to eat on a different schedule from others in the household.
- Constant fatigue
While people with eating disorders usually lack energy, they have energy to go to the gym as this helps them burn calories and maintain a low weight.
- Exceptional coldness
Even in warmer climates, individuals who maintain a very low weight will often complain of being cold, constantly turn up the heat, and often wear several clothing layers.
- Counting calories
People with eating disorders take counting calories to another level – they are extreme. The foods these individuals eat will contain very few calories. Many people often keep track of calorie intake in a notebook.
- Collecting tabloids
It is normal for girls to look for fashion inspiration in magazines, but it becomes a problem when girls attempt to pattern their body types to look like these models who are size 0. Look for such tabloids in your daughter’s room and be aware of any pictures she may pin up on her wall depicting stick-thin girls or women.
