Eating Disorders in Adolescents

Katie Law

Adolescent Psychology

Dr. James Burger

December 3, 2002

It is hard to imagine that children under the age of ten are concerned or even obsessed about their weight. According to Anne Collins, forty percent of first, second, and third grade girls want to be thinner than they already are, eighty percent of ten year olds are worried about becoming fat, and seventy percent of sixth grade girls said they started worrying about their weight, shape, and diet when they were between nine and eleven years old (Collins).

There are basically two major types of eating disorders, anorexia and bulimia. They are both very harmful to the body and children as young as ten can acquire them. An eating disorder is an obsession with eating food and gaining weight. People may become anorexic or bulimic because they are feeling stressed out or upset about something, their lives may feel out of control, or they may perceive that society is putting quite a bit of pressure on them to become thin.

I believe that the way our society is today, one would definitely feel unhappy about his or her weight because of all the emphasis put on being thin and looking like a model. Every other commercial on TV is about diet pills, dieting, or exercising. Especially with as much TV as young girls watch, I can see where this is a concern among adolescents.

Adolescence is a time when teenagers try to succeed and fit in. They spend a lot of their time worrying about others’ opinions and trying to get the “ideal body image.” Many of them think that if they are thin, then they will be accepted. Young girls need role models or someone to look up to. Many of them choose models or actresses and try to be just like them, even if that means resorting to dangerous methods of losing weight to try to mirror their idol’s image.

A few other things that may contribute to eating disorders are the family environment, schools, and peers. A teenager may live in an environment at home where emotional, physical, or sexual abuse occurs. Parents going through a divorce may make a teen feel left out or neglected. Therefore, the child finds comfort in food and feels better.

Parents play a big role in how their son or daughter grows up. Pressuring the child academically or constantly dieting are not good characteristics to possess, because the child might see or become aware of it and may become depressed or diet also. The parents should be teaching what is on the inside is what counts.

Schools occasionally try to warn students about the risks of purging food or not eating. Most of the schools don’t put enough emphasis on academics and brains; instead they tend to focus on athletics and popularity. Schools should teach the students that in order to succeed, they need to work hard and that one doesn’t have to be thin to succeed in his or her career of choice.

Sometimes teenagers need to be able to express their emotions to someone that cares about them. They need to be encouraged and loved unconditionally. When this doesn’t happen the teen may send off warning signs that need to be paid attention to. Some warning signs include the unnatural concern about body weight, obsession with calories, use of any medicine to keep from gaining weight, throwing up after meals, fainting, over exercising, not having periods, and refusing to eat. If these signs are not attended to, more severe problems could occur, such as serious stomach, heart or kidney problems, dry, scaly skin, and dehydration.

This has been a pretty big, talked about topic throughout the years, but there is still a large percent of adolescents in America that suffer from these disorders. There are also internet websites that are saying that they are in favor of eating disorders.

I believe this topic is a growing problem among teen females and even males. I would be interested in researching and reporting the consequences of eating disorders. I do not think this is a healthy disorder, but I do think that people should know how common it is and know what should be done about it.

The article “Eating Disordered Adolescent Males,” examined a study that had been done comparing eating disorders in males to those in females. Men and women both had to complete a questionnaire at the time and also a follow up questionnaire. Comparisons of the three studies performed on females suggest that the course and outcome of eating disorders is similar to that in males. In order to help males, as well as females; coaches, peers, doctors, and family members should encourage teenagers to voice concerns regarding body image and weight, and assure him or her that it is a common disorder between both sexes.

Eating disorders are not brought to attention much concerning males as they do females. I believe that males should be encouraged to speak out and not have to feel embarrassed about having this disorder.

The article “Starving for Information,” discussed why magazines and thin actresses are not to blame for eating disorders but rather, why society is. Within the article, Colin Leslie, from the Medical Post, stated that “Girls see thin women in magazines and on T.V. shows, so the story goes, they starve themselves” (“Starving”).

Professor Kelly Klump, from Michigan State University, searched a famous database, Minnesota Twins, which has medical information on twins born in Minnesota between 1936 and 1964. She compared identical and fraternal twins and found that a twin would be more likely to suffer from anorexia if her identical twin did, rather than her fraternal twin.

I thought this article was interesting because it examined the genetic side. I also enjoyed reading this article because it blamed something other than T.V. shows and thin women in magazines.

The article “News Brief,” basically summarized six health and nutrition new stories that have occurred as of March 2002. One of the news stories was about how the American Heart Association recommended people to follow a high-protein weight loss. They found that the diets do not provide a variety of foods that are required to meet nutritional needs.

Another story I read was how the Surgeon General released a new report that defines overweight and obesity as public health problems. Overall, it pretty much states that these problems are community responsibilities.

I believe that the community should do something to make everyone aware of what should be done to decrease eating disorders. I think something should be done about the problem of obesity, such as a group therapy session, or a professional coming in to talk.

Within this article, “Personality Features and Expressed Concerns of Adolescents with Eating Disorders,” a study was performed using the Million Adolescent Personality Inventory, a test used most frequently in clinical studies. The purpose of this study was to compare the personality characteristics of bulimic and anorexic female girls.

A team of clinicians assessed adolescents. The first step was an interview conducted by a psychologist. The second step was an additional interview with the patient and her family conducted by a psychiatrist. The conclusions were that females with anorexia expressed greater concern of self-concept than females with bulimia.

The study in this article was important in determining the characteristics of anorexic and bulimic females. Maybe in the future this will aid in helping diagnose and treat adolescents with eating disorders.

This article “Children and Adolescents with Eating Disorders: Strategies for Teachers and School Counselors,” provided information on anorexia and bulimia and discussed strategies that would help teachers in the classroom. The article states six risk factors that are often misunderstood of why adolescents develop eating disorders. A few factors mentioned were the media continually promoting thinness as a sign of healthiness and success, perfectionism, and experiencing loss in a personal relationship. Several strategies mentioned were to not force the student to eat, consult the parents and child, and express concern for the child.

This article really relates to me because my major is education. I think all teachers should read this and get ideas of the strategies to help children with eating disorders.

This article “School Counselors’ Knowledge of Eating Disorders,” was about a study performed on how much knowledge of eating disorders school counselors of both sexes have, because they are the first ones that adolescents come to with problems. The participants were asked to complete a forty-three item questionnaire. Not all of the questionnaires came back, but it seemed clear that in the ones returned; the female counselors were more aware of eating disorders than the males. It also stated that the younger counselors are more informed than the older ones.

I thought this study should be shared in the school systems because everyone, not just the counselors, should be aware of the signs and what to do.

This article “Eating Disorders of the Adolescent: Current Issues in Etiology, Assessment, and Treatment’s,” purpose was to inform the reader about the definitions, assessment, and treatment of eating disorders in an adolescent. Eating disorders are an obsession with one’s body image and weight. Living the kind of lifestyle this entails can be life threatening and harmful. It is also stated that individual therapy is the best treatment for eating disordered teenagers, and many school counselors aid in the therapy.

I thought this article was very informative and anyone could learn from it. All school counselors and teachers, in my opinion, should read it to help them understand any eating problems their students may face.

The article “Challenges in Eating Disorders: Past and Present,” gives a brief history of how eating disorders were developed and treated. In the 1940s and 1950s Marilyn Monroe was the curvy teen idol, but in 1967, a 92 lb. British model became the idol for all. Not until the 1970s and 1980s, when a singer, Karen Carpenter, died of anorexia, did eating disorders finally claim recognition. Not until then did the media focus on the life-threatening effects eating disorders can have on individuals.

It is sad what it takes to notice the severity of certain disorders. I wish that it had not taken a death for the public to realize this is a serious problem and that it should be spoken about and treated.

The article “Psychologic and Physiologic Effects of Dieting in Adolescents,” focused mainly on the negative and positive effects of dieting and obesity. It is stated that obesity has increased seventy-five percent in the past three decades. Many illnesses can be associated with obesity and dieting, such as heart diseases, strokes, and even death. Dieting is very widespread and the extremes that people go to, to achieve thinness, are very unhealthy. Some adolescents may skip meals, use low calorie diets, or drink high-powered diet drinks.

I couldn’t believe some of the things I read in this article. The extremes that some of the teenagers went to just to be thin are scary to think about. The illnesses and problems they are putting their bodies through are terrible.

Within the book it describes the various items that are to blame for eating disorders, such as television, magazines, and culture today. It is stated that adolescents, to be considered beautiful, need to be thin and look like models. In reality, they should just be their own person and not care about what others think. In the 1920s era, being thin was as popular as it is today also.

I think that the idea that young women must be thin is ridiculous. Not everyone is built the same, and not everyone possesses the same genes, so to tell the females of this world that to be liked and popular is to be thin and anorexic, is absolutely wrong.

Within this paper, I stated reasons why these disorders were not healthy and tried to make people aware of the consequences and hardships of having anorexia and bulimia. I am not an expert, but I do believe with the sources and articles listed, others can look and find information that may help them or someone close to them battle these eating disorders.

Turpin, Brooke Gregory, Joseph D. Tobias. “Psychologic Effects of Dieting in Adolescents.” Southern Medical Journal 95.9 (Sept. 2002): 1032-1042.

Adolescent: Current Issues in Etiology, Assessment, and Treatment.” School Psychology Review 20.1 (1991): 9-26.

and Expressed Concerns of Adolescents with Eating Disorders.” Adolescence 33.130 (Summer 1998): 292-302.