Page Topic: Eating Disorder

Troubled Teens Help - Eating Disorder.

What are Eating Disorders and how can they affect my Troubled Teen?

Eating disorders are eating patterns that reflect a psychological or physical problem. It is estimated that 10 million Americans suffered from eating disorders in 2005. There are five categories of eating disorders, anorexia nervosa, bulimia, binging, rumination disorder, and pica, but only the first three of these are teen eating disorders. The last two - rumination disorder and pica - which are primarily found in infants, and rumination disorder may arise from physical illness rather than a psychological condition, while pica is thought to possibly arise from a variety of conditions, including psychological conditions, mental health issues, and malnutrition, among others. Eating disorders are serious and can potentially become life-threatening, but treatment is available and recovery is possible. Professional attention should be sought if an eating disorder is suspected.

Anorexia nervosa Anorexia nervosa, also referred to simply as anorexia, is one of the three common types of teen eating disorder. Anorexia means "without appetite," and nervosa refers to the nervous system. Although most often associated with teenage women, and 40% of new cases are found in teens ages 15-19, it is not limited to either this gender or this age group.

Bulimia nervosa Also known as bulimarexia or simply bulimia, bulimia nervosa is one of the three common types of teen eating disorder. Bulimia comes from the words "ox" and "hunger," presumably referring to the enlarged appetite that characterizes it. Between 2 and 3% of teens have bulimia nervosa. Bulimia nervosa has two parts. The first is binging or uncontrolled overeating. The second involves some compensatory behavior, which may include fasting; purging, which may include vomiting, using laxative, or using diuretics; and/or over-exercising, Binge eating disorder Also known as binge eating or binging, binge eating disorder is an eating disorder in its own right, as well as one of the major symptoms of bulimia nervosa. It is one of the three common types of teen eating disorder, and - on its own - just includes uncontrolled overeating without any of the compensatory behaviors. It is characterized by the feeling of being unable to control one's eating. Binging is the most widespread eating disorder as far as gender and age, as well as percentage of people affected. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) reports for every 5 people with binge eating disorder, 3 are women and 2 are men. NIDDK also reports that 2% of U.S. adults have binge eating disorder. Others put this figure as high as 5%.

Getting an accurate idea of the prevalence and other facts about eating disorders is difficult. Physicians, reports Anorexia Nervosa and Related Eating Disorders, Inc. (ANRED), aren't obligated to report eating disorders. This fact, coupled with the secretiveness of people with eating disorders and their lack of recognition that they have a problem, makes it difficult to gain an accurate idea of the prevalence of eating disorders in the U.S. As a result of the difficulties in information gathering, estimates about the prevalence of eating disorders varies. According to the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA), in 2005, 10,000,000 Americans were suffering from eating disorder. The National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD) suggests that 7,000,000 women and 1,000,000 men are affected by eating disorders in America. It is also estimated that between 3.6% and 12.9% of the American population as a whole suffer from an eating disorder at some time in their lives, according to the Eating Disorders Coalition (EDC) report from the APR Work Group on Eating Disorders. In the teen population, between 2.5 and 4% of teens have either anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa, EDC reports from the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. For 76%, according to ANAD, the age at onset is between 11 and 20. ANAD's Ten Year Study revealed that for most people - 77% - the duration of their eating disorder was between 1 and 15 years. About a third of the people who responded reported a duration of 1 to 5 years. It also showed that, while many people recover from all three types of eating disorder, anorexia in particular has the highest mortality rate among mental illnesses. When people with anorexia die, it is usually from complications such as cardiac arrest, suicide, or electrolyte imbalance, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. ANRED reports that as many as 20% of cases, people with serious eating disorders do die, while close to 60% of people with any sort of eating disorders recover. At the same time, ANRED points out clearly that reliable long-term data on lengthy recoveries is not available, so these figures should be considered speculative. The New York University Wellness Exchange pinpoints college as a time of challenge. The report that about 20% of college-aged women feel stressed in a way that brings up issues of control and feelings of being out of control. This can develop farther into an eating disorder.

If your teen has an eating disorder then now is the time to locate a program that will help your child come to grips with the situation and turn for help. We want nothing more than to help your teen get over that hump of wanting to not eat or purge there food once consumed. That can be scary because if continued with either one it leads to death. We are a 24/7 service and want nothing more than to locate a program for your teen that will help them in the areas they need it most. Please call us today at (866) MY-TEEN2 or (866) 698-3362 we have highly trained staff ready to work with you and take your teen under there wing to get them back on track. We look forward ot your call and want you to know the best interest of your teen is foremost on our minds.