Teens have close relationships with eating disorders

By Azamaya A.

For years eating disorders have been a common issue among teenagers worldwide. A significant portion of young women and men who are struggling with Anorexia, Bulimia, and Binge Eating. Unfortunately In eating disorder cases many teenagers may  find it difficult to reach out and ask for help dealing with these struggles. 

According to the health website National Library of Medicine teenagers with eating disorders can face serious health consequences. Not only can these disorders cause weight control issues and stunted growth they can also lead to irreversible damage and delayed development. Additionally teens often lose essential body mass, muscle mass and bone mineral density which is essential for development causing them to not grow properly. 

For cases like eating disorders there can be physiological issues behind why teens would use this as a way to deal with many different things like past trauma, bullying and shadowing over an event that happened in their life. According to Guidance Counselor Todd Riccio “It could be all types of things. It depends on the student, every student is unique, every student's different past and history is different and what they've turned to help cope with those problems.” 

In America eating disorders are normalized because of things like social media influencers, models and actors showing the “perfect” body and stereotyping what every girl and boy should look like.This could possibly lead teens to feel insecure about their bodies. According to a survey conducted by the National Eating Disorders Association, 9% or 30 million people in the world will have an eating disorder at some point in their life.

 Having an eating disorder is considered to be ranked as the 3rd highest chronic illness especially amongst teens with a continuous growth rate of 5% that has increased drastically over the last 3 decades according to the National Liberty of Medicine. 

When it comes to eating disorders teens may find it difficult asking for help because they might not think it's a problem. One MRHS student who wished to remain nameless claims “ I didn't think it was such a big deal, it's like a normal thing for me.” If one person can feel like this there could be millions of teenagers in America  who are secretly struggling to get help because it’s a normalized struggle in our society for teenage girls and many that struggle with this disorder have thoughts that everyone is supposed to struggle with it. 

Teenagers struggling is so common that teachers can recognize what might be happening “A case of 300 kids may have 1 or 2 that make it known. There could be more we are not aware of  from what we know about their friends who come and talk to us. There's a handful in that 300 case load that make it known,” adds Riccio. 

Most teens struggling with eating disorders might not realize how severe the side effects  can be.They can be life threatening and can lead to other mental health problems like increased anxiety, depression and potential substance abuse. Adding onto that because the body is not accustomed to being deprived of food in any way it can break down stunting development growth in teens, including potentially  developing osteoporosis due to bones not growing properly. Because eating disorders are considered to be optional to get treated for because it's up to the person whether or not they want to get treated they might wait until it's too late and find that the damage is irreversible.  The National Library of Medicine explains that “Deprivation of energy (calories) and protein on the other hand are especially important to identify because these elements are crucial to growth.” Without the body getting these nutrients it can take a big toll on the body and cause growth defects. 

Teens with eating disorders can find help more easily than they might think if they know where to look and are ready to commit to getting help. Therapists, School guidance counselors, family members, friends, doctors, school nurses and any trusted adult are great places to start when looking for support and guidance. Riccio states when students come in he listens to what they have to say, “Talk to them and listen to what their needs are, talk to their parents and tell them ways they can support and figure out why they are struggling how their struggling put in their parents hands and helping them get the support they need.” When students reach out for help they are gonna get the right kind of support and help they need especially from people they trust.

If you or someone you know are currently struggling with any eating disorder and aren't ready to commit to asking for help from people you know, call or text 720-777-6200 for anonymous help from the Children's Hospital Colorado.