How To Identify Eating Disorders in Teenage Girls
The stress teen girls are under in today's society can be severe. There is an incessant desire to look as good as the stars in the magazines or the actresses on TV. In school, popularity is based on looks--if you're thin, you're in. It's no wonder that eating disorders have become such a threat to teen girls everywhere. If you think your daughter may have an eating disorder, the following is a list of signs that can help you identify it.
Instructions
Believing she's fat when she's not. Many girls will consider themselves fat when they don't have an ounce of extra skin anywhere. Some of this thinking is simply typical. It is also a sign of Anorexia Nervosa. If your daughter seems to become obsessed with her weight and is constantly looking in the mirror, calling herself fat although she looks like a matchstick, watch her other habits carefully. Starving herself. If you begin to notice that your daughter is hardly eating or not eating anything at all, warning bells should be going off in your head. This, too, is a sign of Anorexia. With this disorder, the person feels as if the only thing they have control over in their life is food, so control it they will. This, coupled with thinking they are fat, is a deadly combination. Exhibits low self esteem. If your teenage daughter is a perfectionist and achieves many great things, yet suffers from a very low self esteem, it is a breeding ground for an eating disorder. This is where the control issue in their life comes into play. All of these things, combined with a mental image of being fat when the reality is that they're thin, are all signs of needing immediate medical attention. Overeating followed by purging. This is a symptom of Bulimia. Many teenage girls will gorge themselves on a high-calorie meal and then immediately go to the bathroom and induce vomiting. Many times they will remain in the bathroom for longer than normal and run water the entire time they are in there. This is done so that no one can hear them while they vomit. If you notice your daughter frequently eating large amounts of food at a time and then going to the bathroom shortly afterward, take her to the doctor immediately. Use of laxatives. This is another sign of Bulimia. Teenage girls who suffer from this disorder will also use laxatives as a means of expelling the food they recently ingested. If you have a suspicion that your teen may be suffering from this disorder, take notice of any empty or half-used laxative packages laying around the house or hidden in her room. The sooner you stop the cycle and get her help, the greater her chances are of recovering.