Teenage Eating Disorders - Steps that Can Be Taken by Families of Adolescent Patients

Teenage eating disorders have become more common in the last decade. More and more adolescent victims are suffering from bulimia and anorexia, two of the most common eating disorders that afflict teenagers. Although boys can have these disorders, majority of sufferers are teenage girls.

Statistics have shown than an estimated 10 percent of the U.S. population suffers from one form of dysfunctional eating habits or another; and almost 95 percent are female, with majority aged between 10 and 20. For families who have adolescent kids suffering from these disorders, here are the steps that can be taken to address the problem before it gets worse.

1) Seek the help of professionals. Treatment clinics and facilities for people suffering from eating problems can be found almost everywhere. These facilities offer services from psychological counseling to nutritional therapy to medical attention.

2) Don't ignore the signs. If you think that your child is just picky with his food, you might end up failing to address the condition at its onset, which would be the best time to address the problem. Look for symptoms, like being too conscious about body weight, obsession with counting calories and weighing food, distorted perception about their bodies, uncontrolled eating/dieting, vomiting or purging and extreme mood swings.

3) Be sensitive to their emotional and psychological struggles. Eating disorders can be prompted by a traumatic experience. Experts have revealed that some people who suffer from these disorders have been abused as a child. Teenage girls and boys who have experienced failure and humiliation also sometimes turn to overeating or not eating at all as a way of dealing with their emotions.

4) Provide a healthy family environment for your child. Family problems cannot be avoided. If there are significant changes within the family that can hurt your adolescent, talk it out in the open and gently prod them to express their feelings and to reveal what they think about the situation. However, avoid being pushy since this is something that teenagers dislike immensely.

5) Encourage their creative abilities. Letting teenagers engage in activities that they like and they excel at can provide them with a sturdy emotional and psychological foundation. Encourage them to pursue their hobbies, as long as they will not cause harm, and don't force them to live up to your personal expectations of them.

Teenage eating disorders are not just physical health problems, they are primarily psychological in nature and should be addressed by giving your adolescent all the love and support that he or she needs.