Eating disorder is very common among teens – around 15 million teenagers across the globe are known to suffer from eating disorder!  This has led to a lot of research so that the causes of such problematic diet conditions in the teenagers are understood. Teenagers suffer from anorexia, binge eating and bulimia – all of which are the results of stress, relationship issues and also emotional disturbances.

Parents should be aware of the different causes so that they know if their children are prone to eating disorders. Here are some causes of teen eating disorder:
• History of feeding problems in the earlier ages.
• Childhood obesity or too much thinness.
• Fad dieting.
• Severe stress in the family.
• Childhood trauma.
• Too much importance given by family members on weight as well as appearance.
• Family member/s obsessed with diet or food.
• Cultural factors – emphasis on thinness to be ideal appearance of women.
• Junk food and fast food promotions through advertisements.
• Genetic factors – if someone in the family has problems of eating disorders.

Now, that you know the causes of eating disorders, it is important that you learn about the various symptoms of such disorders among teens.

• Too much obsession about weight gain…complaining about weight all the time.
• Obsessed about calories and counting fat content of foods.
• Loss of weight at an alarming rate.
• Throwing up just after meals.
• No desire to eat. Lying about not being hungry or eaten too much.
• Taking medicines so that weight is not gained.
• Exercising too much.
• Rushing to the bathroom after meals. Sound of running taps to hide any probable sound of vomiting.
• Starving and self imposed food restrictions.
• Using diet pills and laxatives.
• Too much weight gain. Feeling hungry all the time.
• Hiding food in odd places like closets and suitcases to be eaten later.
• Secretly eating.
• Preoccupied with thoughts of eating, thoughts about food.
• Insomnia, depression, fatigue, knee and joint pain.

There are many ways to treat eating disorder among teenagers:

Working with specialists: Any teenager who suffers from eating disorders needs professional help along with love, support and care of family members. A therapist, nutritionist, a nurse and a Doctor work together to help a teen tackle the problem of eating disorder and get back to normal and healthy life a soon as possible. Treatment is completely based on the needs of the teenager and the symptoms.

Role of a doctor: A doctor plays a major role in treatment of a teenager.
• A Doctor keeps a record of medical health and continuously checks weight, blood pressure, temperature and pulse to understand the health condition fully.
• He makes the necessary tests to make sure that certain chemicals in the body are stable such as chloride, carbon dioxide, sodium and potassium.
• The doctor normally decides how long the teenager needs to stay in the hospital in case of severity.

Treatment by a Therapist:
• Helps to improve self esteem, boosts morale and brings confidence.
• Addresses emotional issues.
• Helps in stress management and depression.
• Explores feelings of anxiety, sadness, irritations and counsels the patient.
• Helps family to ease tensions and helps them to improve communication skills.

 Nutritionist:
• Suggests healthy and safe eating plans.
• Discusses the different myths about eating.
• Suggests healthy eating habit.

Image credits: christianpost.com: weight-watch-blog: americathebeautifuldoc; gotech.gatech