When a teenager is struggling with an eating disorder, he or she isn't the only one to suffer. Though she is the one at greatest risk, her family suffers right along with her. In an attempt to capture this painful journey, Lorri and Taryn Benson - mother and daughter - have teamed up to write the book Distorted: How a Mother and Daughter Unraveled the Truth, the Lies and the Realities of an Eating Disorder.

"Distorted chronicles their story, written in the hopes that other parents, spouses, siblings and friends can learn from their ordeal. It's not just a cautionary tale about the dangers of eating disorders... This book dramatically examines an eating disorder from dual perspectives, revealing many highly charges issues..."

Distorted has been called "raw" and "brutally honest" as mother and daughter fight for their family, their finances, and their lives. Source: DistortedTheBook.com

Labels: effects_of_eating_disorders, family, support

A new study from the University of Helsinki in Finland links low birth rates in adults to unhealthy BMIs in teenagers. BMI means body mass index, and is a measure of how much fat is in the body.

Teenagers whose BMIs were either too low or too high were more likely to experience fertility problems as adults and less likely to be married.

Dr. Liisa Keltikangas-Javinen tracked the weights of 1300 people ages 3 to 18 years in 1980. She found that those with too low BMIs had 10 to 16% fewer children, and those who were overweight had 32 to 38% fewer children.

This study appears in the journal Epidemiology.

The Sierras Solution offers long-term weight control strategies for children.

Labels: effects_of_eating_disorders, fertility, teenagers

Nikki Grahame may not be as famous in the United States as she is in the United Kingdom, but her struggle with anorexia is a lesson for people around the world. One of the stars of Big Brother 7, Grahame was hospitalized as a child and even slipped into a coma because of her illness. Now, she's admitted that she's unable to have children.

"She told OK! Magazine: 'I might adopt because I can't have children, because of all the internal damage I've done to myself with the anorexia. I found out about it a while ago and it is a shame. It's inevitable though, with anorexia.'"

Grahame has also been diagnosed with osteoporosis, a condition that's usually found in people who are much older. Read more at DigitalSpy.co.uk.

Therapeutic boarding schools, like Bromley Brook School, offer accredited academics and counseling to help students deal with behaviors that may be preventing them from growing into a healthy adult. Learn more about Bromley Brook private boarding schools for girls.

Labels: anorexia, effects_of_eating_disorders, infertility

Emma Farnsworth knows first-hand the pain and confusion of trying to overcome an eating disorder. She spent several weeks at an eating disorder treatment facility in St. Louis. What she discovered is that, while an eating disorder certainly damages the body, it has an equally devastating affect on the mind and soul.

"Eating disorders are abusive, selfish, vacuous and deadly - but the media glamorizes them by giving them attention, even when showing a skeletal model on the verge of death. I have seldom come across a truly honest article about the emotional and mental burden of anorexia and bulimia."

Farnsworth recounts her time in the treatment center, getting to know the other girls. Aside from their eating disorders, she says, many seemed quite normal. All wanted to be good friends and siblings and hopefully good wives and moms someday. But eating disorders slowly wore away at their joy and hope, even more than their bodies. Read more at MSNBC.MSN.com.

Teens with eating disorders can find help at an adolescent residential treatment center such as Island View. Not sure what exactly your teen is suffering from? The Aspen Institute of Behavioral Assessment can diagnosis your child and form a treatment plan.

Labels: effects_of_eating_disorders, support, treatment