Nobody’s perfect.
Did you ever feel like your value as a person is weighed in pounds on a scale? In a culture that celebrates thinness, it’s not surprising that many teen girls feel like the size of their jeans dictates self-esteem. With images of waif-like models, and super-thin Hollywood stars, even young girls think that they should copy celebrities who are svelte and sexy.
And although this “gaunt is good” mindset can’t be completely blamed for the epidemic of eating disorders, anorexia nervosa, commonly known as just anorexia, is one of the most common eating disorders in the U.S. among teens. About 1 percent of the teen population has anorexia, 90 percent of them girls.
You might have heard whispers at school about someone who is stick thin. “She has anorexia.” Anorexia is an eating disorder where the individual does harmful and drastic things to her body to ensure extreme weight loss. This behavior is rooted in a distorted sense of body image and a desire to be thin.
Some signs of anorexia include:
- Weighing yourself more than once a day
- Carefully weighing or portioning out food
- Excessive exercise
- Complaints of “feeling fat”
- Restricted diets (only vegetarian, avoiding certain foods, fasting or eating very little)
- Shivering or feeling cold
- Lack of energy
- Depression
When teens develop a preoccupation or fixation with their weight or physical appearance they may resort to doing very unhealthy things to get thinner. Starvation, excessive exercise, bingeing, purging, and restrictive dieting are just a few of the over-the-top ways that anorexics seek to lose weight. Sadly, most of the methods for extreme weight loss can lead to long-term, serious health problems that include:
- fatigue
- absence of monthly period
- hair loss and nail breakage
- swollen joints
- tooth decay
- anemia (low red blood cell count)
- heart problems
- inability to concentrate, irritability
- brittle bones
- drop in blood pressure, breathing rate, and pulse
- kidney problems
Death is also a tragic reality for many young people who have an extreme eating disorder that becomes medically complicated. In fact, anorexia has the highest mortality rate of any psychiatric disorder.
What causes anorexia?
There are many possible factors. There is some evidence that having a family history of eating disorders or a mental health illness like depression or obsessive-compulsive disorder can play a role. For some teens, a traumatic event or sexual abuse may be the cause of eating disorders. Peer pressure, especially for teens involved in certain sports like gymnastics, ballet, or wrestling, may put a lot of pressure on someone to be thin. And again, the unattainable standards of beauty imposed by our society and pop culture cause some teens to seek drastic measures to look more like models or movie stars.
Boys can be afflicted as well. In some cases the condition is related to sports where weight matters, like maintaining a certain weight category in wrestling. In other cases, boys become preoccupied with their body shape and begin to exercise or body build to the extreme.
Finding help
If you find yourself obsessing about food and body weight, seek help right away from a medical professional – if you don’t want to talk to your parents, try speaking with your doctor, a counselor, or a trusted adult. Eating disorders involve both the mind and the body, and treatment – including family therapy – can help you put things in the proper perspective. The most important thing is to recognize and address the problem as soon as possible. Therapy can help you feel better, and there are many options to get you on the road to recovery.
And if you know someone or have a friend who suffers from anorexia there are things you can do to help.
- Be honest and open. Let your friend know you are worried about them and tell them that you are always there if they need to talk.
- Set an example. Support them by being healthy yourself. Set a good example by making healthy choices and having a positive attitude towards food and your body.
- Be supportive. Suggest your friend talk to a medical professional and offer to go to the appointment with them.
Treatment for anorexia is essential in order to get better and has a high rate of success. Sufferers of anorexia find it possible, through therapy, behavioral changes, and nutrition treatment, to recover fully from their eating disorder and lead a healthy life.
This article has been reviewed by BodiMojo health expert Debra Franko, PhD.
Risky business
Teens with at least 15 percent less than normal weight for their height may not have enough body fat to keep organs and other body parts healthy.
