There have been many studies conducted on the causes and treatment for eating disorders. The disorders that are recognized as being most prevalent often occur in pre-teen and teen girls and last throughout their life to some extent. An eating disorder may begin as a diet, and at some point the need to achieve a certain look overtakes the young person and the diet slides into the realm of disorder.
One of the issues that occur with most people who would normally help the young person, is that the disorders are very difficult to identify. A parent may think that their young teen is a picky eater when they do not eat the food they are served at meals. In many cases, the teen will explain their lack of hunger away by saying they have eaten something before arriving at home. If a parent or friend is aware of the indicators of an eating disorder, they can be pivotal in helping the young person recover before the disorder becomes out of control.
For a majority of young people, eating disorders begin with the feeling that they have no control over their lives. They are typically excellent students, model citizens, and try to please authority figures and friends. They often are remembered as being very kind, loving and caring. Eating is often the only area where they feel they have control and controlling what they are eating or purging becomes an obsession that eventually consumes them.
Most eating disorders begin gradually and, by the time they are identified, a long period of treatment must take place. The earlier treatment starts for these conditions, the more successful the individual with the disorder is at overcoming the condition. One indicator of the condition is the teen who develops an acute interest in nutrition, exercise, and calories. Most teens with eating disorders know the calories of every bite of food that goes into their mouth and will exercise compulsively to rid themselves of the calories they may consume from food. In some cases, teens will refuse to eat any food that is not in a shape that can be accounted for. They will eat a specific number of peas, macaroni, or other small food, then exercise to burn the calories they feel they have gained from eating that food.
One way that the teen is able to hide drastic weight loss from family and friends is to wear bulky or layered clothing. They will often bundle up even when the weather is warm so that people that may react negatively to the way they look. The anorexic does not see themselves as skinny, even when they have reached the critical stages of the disorder. Their self image is one of a “fat” girl and they can look in a mirror and see every area of their body that is fat, even when there is no fat present.
When a teen will not wear shorts in the hot summer, or wears layered bulky clothing at all times, it is a good indication that there may be some body image issue and a professional will be of great assistance in determining how deep the issue goes.
Being aware of the physical signs of an eating disorder can also be a way to make an early discovery of a problem with a teen. The hair will become noticeably thin and dull, their teeth may yellow, and their skin tone will become sallow. These are all indications that a person is not getting the proper nutrients and vitamins that they need to be healthy. In addition, the person with the disorder will not be able to exert themselves physically as they would have when they were healthy. In most cases, menstruation periods will become irregular or stop.
Each year, more than 5 million Americans are affected by that of serious and often life-threatening disorders such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia, binge-eating, compulsive eating, and obesity for example. An eating disorder clinic can provide you with all the eating disorder help you need. For more free info, please visit our website.
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Tags: eating disorder clinic, eating disorder help, eating disorder recovery, Eating Disorders, health
