Teen Eating Disorders

Teenagers are the most likely age group to develop eating disorders. This is due to the social, physical and spiritual pressures that affect teens the world over.

It is no secret that the teen years can be some of the most difficult to deal with.

The bodies are changing and hormones may be raging out of control.

For that reason the teen years are the time when parents and doctors need to be keeping an eye on the children to ensure that they are not developing eating disorders.

These disorders are highly dangerous and can lead to other serious medical conditions or even death in extreme circumstances. The sad fact is that most people have no idea how to diagnose this kind of issue. In most cases the teens of the world are very good at hiding their disorders.

This comes from the fact that they may have a very poor view of their own bodies and in light may then seek ways to lose weight without anyone knowing. A teen that is extremely thin and still claims to be over weight or has a serious self confidence issue may be a prime candidate for developing an eating disorder.

In many cases there are no warning signs and the teen may be actively enveloped in the disorder before anyone realizes it. One of the most common of all teen eating disorders is anorexia. This disorder is marked by a teen that will literally starve themselves down to almost nothing. Food intake will be minimal if any at all.

In most cases the teen will view the body they have as being fat, even though they are dramatically under weight. The teen will most likely deny that they have a problem. Being severely with drawn from friends and family is likely with this disorder and will only get worse as the victim perceives their own self image as being poor.

This disorder is actually mentally based and has nothing to do with the weight loss that is happening. The body is actually eating itself internally because there is no food to create energy being taken in.

Eventually vital systems of the body will start to shut down. The cause of this disorder is not known but many experts feel it may stem from childhood trauma or perhaps unresolved issues that the teen has.

Peer pressure may also lead to this disorder and can make the disorder worse as time progresses. Bulima is the second most common eating disorder for teens. This disorder is marked by binge eating.

This eating will take place in a short period of time where the teen will ingest huge amounts of high calorie food and then will purge the body by vomiting.

This can cause serious damage to the internal organs and can lead to death if not stopped as soon as possible. Teen eating disorders are nearly impossible to spot if you are not looking.

Keep a close eye on your teen, especially the girls to ensure that they are maintaining a proper diet and not losing weight in large amounts.