In a March 29 article on shreveporttimes.com, author Doreen Nagle provided the following details on the prevalence of eating disorders among teenagers:

• About 10 of every 100 teen girls suffer from two body image disorders, bulimia and anorexia. These two diseases are classified as psychiatric disorders and may run in families.
• Over 12 percent of high school students admit that they have gone without eating for 24 hours so they may lose weight or prevent weight gain.
• More than six percent of students nationwide admitted having taken diet supplements without a doctor's advice to lose weight or to keep from gaining weight.
• Forcing oneself to vomit as an aid in losing weight or keeping weight off is a practice used by about 5 percent of teens; the number of girls using this method is more than twice that of boys.

"Is your child unrealistically concerned with being 'fat' when she or he is too thin in your estimation? Does your child's weight fluctuate with no reasonable explanation?," Nagle wrote. "Watch for the signs of anorexia or bulimia."

Labels: bulimia, teen eating disorders, anorexia

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A March 17 article on Russia's Pravda news website reports an increase in eating disorders among teen boys around the world:

According to the World Health Organization, within the last two years the number of eating disorders (anorexia, bulimia) among young men age 12 through 16 has increased twofold. Sixty-seven percent of them suffer from severe undernutrition and apparent psychosis.

One in 100 teenagers makes a suicide attempt because they are unhappy with their appearance. ...

Medical professionals name the following reasons of the disease: early puberty, temperament, being teased because of excessive weight, low self esteem, and disadaptive family education. Genetics is also important. The risk factor of those who have relatives suffering from the disorder is 12 times larger.

Labels: teen eating disorders, boys

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A study recently conducted in Sweden found that girls from well-educated families who do well at school may be at higher risk of developing an eating disorder.

The study, conducted by Stockholm's Karolinska Institute, followed more than 13,000 women born in Sweden between 1952 and 1989. Researchers found that as parents' or grandmothers' education increased, so did girls' risk of being hospitalized for anorexia or another eating disorder. The risk for eating disorders also increased in relation to the girls' own grades in high school.

The researchers commented on the findings: "It's possible that these girls feel more pressure from family to succeed -- which for some could translate into an obsession with controlling their eating and body weight."

Researcher Jennie Ahren-Moonga commented that pressure to succeed may be combined with other problems, such as lack of self-esteem. "This is even more relevant when combined with low self-esteem, as the feeling of not being able to live up to expectations plays a crucial role in both anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa," she said.

(Source: www.reuters.com)

Labels: eating disorder, bulimia, teen eating disorders, anorexia

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