Teen eating disorders need to be taken seriously

Sunday, the Academy Awards’ red carpet was filled with thin, beautiful young women wearing gorgeous gowns. The super-hyped media focus is on body weight. Who hasn’t heard the adage that you can’t be too thin or too rich?

So it won’t be a surprise to learn that one in 100 teens will develop an eating disorder and of those teens, 90 percent of them are female. As their bodies go through puberty, it’s common for teens of both genders to add some weight. Some teens find that abhorrent. Often youngsters who’ve been involved in sports such as gymnastics or dance as in ballet find their body transformations difficult to adjust to.

Sometimes it’s just the pressures of life that become overwhelming to a teen who may think that they only thing they have control over is what they eat. As a result, food becomes a fixation.

An anorexic will count calories or exercise obsessively after eating, progressively eating less and less until they can’t eat at all. A bulimic will eat, actually will often overeat, particularly junk food, and then purge their body by either taking laxatives or most commonly vomiting. They, too, may exercise obsessively. Both of these conditions, if not treated, can be life threatening.

Occasional dieting and/or pigging out do not necessarily constitute an eating disorder. An individual who consistently purges, three or more times per week, or one who dwells on every bite of food most likely is at risk.

These disorders can have long-term effects on their young bodies. As their bodies go into starvation mode they can become dehydrated causing complications such as heart problems or kidney failure.

Anorexics may develop brittle bones. Bulimics will lose tooth enamel. Anorexics can lose their hair and have chronic nail breakage. Bulimics can suffer from constant stomach pain.

Parents should look at the warning signs. If your child (eating disorders can start as early as age 10) shuns family gatherings that are centered on food, weighs herself constantly and talks about being fat when actual weight is normal or below normal, seems to be cold all the time and often lethargic she could have anorexia.

A child who uses his allowance to purchase laxatives, diuretics or enemas, spends most of his time working out or trying to work off calories, makes excuses to go to the bathroom immediately after meals and seems to have an unhealthy obsession with weight gain can be bulimic.

According to Sandpoint dentist Steve Anderson, losing tooth enamel occurs over a period of time. Since no procedures will be performed on minors without parental consent, this is a way to discover your child has a problem.

“We hate to accuse a patient of bulimia when it could be something else,” Anderson said, “Erosion can be caused by acid reflux or eating habits such as sucking on lemons, so it’s important for the patient to see their physician as soon as possible before a bigger problem arises.”

If you suspect your child has an eating disorder you will need to confront her/him in a loving and supportive way. Be aware that he or she will become defensive and possibly confrontational and most certainly defensive. Explain what behaviors have made you suspicious without sounding judgmental. Then get your child to his/her pediatrician who can make the assessment and recommend treatment.

Professionals will help the youth deal with their behaviors and begin to alter them. Therapy and nutritional education are the backbone to curing these conditions and caught early enough a full recovery is likely.

Sources for this article came from www.kidshealth.com and www.nimh.nih.gov/health.

n Kathy Hubbard is a trustee on Bonner General Hospital Foundation Board. She can be reached at kathyleehubbard@yahoo.com, 264-4029.