Anorexia Nervosa

One of the most common eating disorders among teenagers is anorexia nervosa. While anorexia is more prevalent among teenage girls, it also occurs in boys and is estimated that ten percent of all anorexic teens are male.

Teenagers with anorexia have a distorted view of their body image and believe that they are overweight even when they have reached the point of being dangerously thin. Anorexia nervosa is a serious eating disorder which is life threatening and requires medical treatment and therapy. Statistics show that one percent of all teenagers have an eating disorder and that five to twenty percent of teenagers with anorexia nervosa will die from this disorder.

Warning Signs of Teenage Anorexia

There are numerous warning signs which can be indicative of this disorder and one of the most prominent is when the teenager is underweight and in denial continuing to try and lose even more weight. Another sign of an eating disorder is if they are obsessing over food by being very discriminative of what they eat, counting every calorie, and weighing the amount of the food.

Other signs include refusal to eat by denying that they are hungry as well as avoiding social events or situations where there is food involved. Anorexics may also exercise excessively and teenage boys who have this eating disorder will sometimes be obsessed with looking athletic.  

Treatment Methods for Anorexic Teens

Anorexia nervosa requires medical treatment in order to recover from the disorder. There are many methods of treatment which involve multiple specialists including dieticians, physicians, and mental health professionals.

Family therapy is also encouraged to help the teen by giving them a support system making it easier for them to follow through with their recovery. It is essential if you notice any signs of anorexia nervosa in your teenager, you seek professional help immediately as catching anorexia early greatly increases the chance for a full recovery.