As a teenager, Liz Jones never drank, even though she was the only one among her friends who didn't. She never smoked, and never experimented with drugs.

Despite her seemingly squeaky-clean adolescence -- especially for a person who came of age during the 1970s -- Jones says her unhealthy diet and exercise behaviors indicate that she was still an addict:

My drugs of choice were exercise and starvation: both gave me a high, both were illicit and frowned upon by adults. They involved huge amounts of deceit, and elaborate cover-ups; I hid my arms, not because of track marks, but so no one could see how thin they had become. My form of rebellion, my crutch if you like, was as life-threatening as if I were on heroin.

No one told me how to be anorexic, I came up with it all by myself: there were no pro-anorexia websites, and none of my friends were doing the same thing.

The reasons why teenagers feel the need to abuse their bodies, to experiment, are complex.

My particular brand of self-harm was tied up with low self-esteem, crippling shyness  fear, basically.

Im pretty sure that fear is what drives most young people to dabble in dangerous things. We want to quiet that gnawing in our tummy, that churning.

[Source: www.dailymail.co.uk, March 22]

Labels: teenagers

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When Emily Schlehuber first starting purging after meals, she didn't think anything was wrong. She was struggling with low self-esteem, which got worse after she and her boyfriend broke up. She was complimented on her weight loss, and only realized there was a problem when she started vomiting up blood.

In a July 15 article on Coloradan.com, writer Hallie Woods described Schlehuber's journey from disordered eater to pageant winner:

After a year and a half living with the disorder, Schlehuber confided in her father, who helped her seek treatment with a therapist and a nutritionist. She enrolled in a leadership program at Fossell Ridge where she began to realize her self-worth ...

Now 17 and still recovering from the disorder, Schlehuber is reaching out to others who suffer or are at risk of suffering from the same devastating effects of the disease.

In March, Emily was crowned "Miss Teen Colorado" for her work on eating disorder awareness. She not only speaks in junior high health classes but also serves in a consultation role with doctors at a local eating disorder recovery center.

Labels: bulimia, teenagers, overcoming bulimia

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One factor common among eating disorder sufferers is low self-esteem. An organization wanting to address the issue has chosen a curious name: Hey UGLY. UGLY stands for "Unique Gifted Lovable You."

They chose the name "UGLY" because it is one of the most negative words in our vocabulary. It is the word that tweens and teens use to describe others, and most significantly, themselves. (Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer Blog)

The goal of "Hey UGLY" is to empower students, both boys and girls, to be part of the solution to the problem of low self-esteem and poor body image among teens and adolescents.

Labels: self-esteem, teenagers, self-image_issues

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Researchers at Saint John's University in Minnesota have found that teenagers may use vegetarianism as a cover for eating disorders. The study appears in the latest edition of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.

In a research venture called Project EAT-II: Eating Among Teens, [nutritionist Ramona] Robinson-O'Brien and her team surveyed 2,516 young Minnesotans, ages 15 to 23. ... Approximately 20 percent of the vegetarians turned out to be binge eaters, compared with only five percent of those who had always eaten meat.

The survey also found that 25 percent of the vegetarians admitted to engaging in extreme weight-control measures like taking diet pills or forcing themselves to vomit. Though some teenagers do become vegetarians in an effort to eat better or to protect animals, parents should be attentive to symptoms that may indicate an eating disorder.

Source: Dallas Morning News

Labels: teenagers, causes of eating disorders, teens, eating_habits, eating_problems, vegetarians

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Though bulimia nervosa affects countless adolescents, most studies on effective treatment have focused on adults. James Lock, MD, PhD, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford University, said that's why his team's research will focus on young people:

"The team will study three treatments that may help adolescent bulimics. Study subjects will be randomly assigned to receive 20 outpatient consultations using cognitive behavior therapy, family therapy, or individualized psychotherapy."

The team is currently looking for adolescents with bulimia or bulimic-like behaviors that are willing to participate in a two-year study. Prospective participants must be between the ages of 12 and 18, and their families must be willing to participate as well. Anyone who is interested in participating should contact research assistant Brittany Alvy at the Stanford School of Medicine. Source: Stanford Medical Center Report

Labels: bulimia, treatment, teenagers

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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: teenagers, effects_of_eating_disorders, fertility

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Doctors Daniel le Grange, PhD and James Lock, MD, PhD have released a book titled "Treating Bulimia in Adolescents" in which they include parents as a vital part of the recovery process. Often, clinical management of adolescent eating disorders includes separating the teen from his or her parents. Parents are often seen as part of the problem.

"We don't see parents as the culprit,' [Le Grange] added. 'We see them as a valuable resource in the treatment of these adolescents. Our goal is to empower parents to feed their kids. Feeding kids is something they do well."

Called "The Maudsley approach", the treatment program includes parental supervision of an adolescent's every meal. Parents ensure that the right kinds of food are eaten, and stay with the child for while after the meal to make sure the child doesn't purge. Read more at PsychCentral.com.

Labels: bulimia, treatment, teenagers

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Since 2002, the number of teenagers with eating disorders as increased six-fold in Singapore. And, unfortunately, only 10 to 20 percent are actively seeking treatment.

Local psychologists feel that the alarming rise of teenage eating disorders is due to lack of confidence or control.

"Dr Evelyn Boon, Psychologist, Singapore General Hospital, said: 'One of the contributing factors could be that they feel bad about certain things. It could be what they can't control - their family, how they feel about themselves. So in order for them to feel better, they feel that they should control how they are looked at by other people. A lot of them have this misconception that being slim is popular. That's one of the more common things we've heard of. The other thing is if they're teased in school about being overweight, they go the other extreme.'"

Experts believe that Singapore girls have lower self-esteem and a higher level of insecurities about themselves than other Asian girls. Read more online.

Labels: teenagers, girls, psychology

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Almost 30 years ago, Aimee Liu suffered from anorexia. At the age of 25, considered cured, despite minimal treatment, she documented her struggle with teenage anorexia in Solitaire.

Six years ago, Liu again found herself battling the devastating eating disorder. So she wrote a new book, Gaining: The Truth About Life After Eating Disorders, about the long road of recovery.

Liu says "that mid-life women are prone to eating disorders in the same way that adolescent girls are. Life changes and outside pressures can cause a loss of identity, and that struggle is often what triggers the disorder in many women." Read more online.

Labels: teenagers, recovery, support

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People who struggle with eating disorders typically also struggle with distorted body image. In fact, a new study has found that recognizing body image distortion is the most important step in identifying teens who are at risk of developing eating disorders.

“’Body image distortion is when perceptions don’t match up with reality,’ according to Silver Cross pediatrician Dr. Paul Aschinberg. ‘And sometimes perceptions can be more important than reality.’… Aschinberg says those feelings of inadequacy can take firm root in grade school. Preteens will then begin thinking about ways to achieve their perception of the ideal body…” [Source: Chicago Sun-Times]

Unfortunately, body image isn’t something physicians typically check, so parents need to talk with their child’s doctor about it. There is so much emphasis on overweight children, that those who are at a healthy weight are often overlooked.

Labels: teenagers, body image

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When most people hear the phrase “silent killer,” they think of hypertension or heart disease. But eating disorders can be silent killers, too, especially in teens who are determined to hide it.

“A recent study published by the University of Illinois suggests that normal and underweight teenage girls who believe that they are overweight are at a significantly higher risk of developing unhealthy weight loss behaviors.” [Source: Insiders Health]

This misperception is called “body distortion” and it’s more prevalent than many adults realize. A girl who’s convinced that she’s “fat” even though she’s not will continue trying to lose weight, even when she’s too thin. And, to the best of her ability, she’s going to hide her weight loss from her parents and other loved ones, so she can keep losing.

 

Labels: teenagers, symptoms, girls

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