Eating disorders (ED) are a type of serious mental health condition in which the sufferer struggles with their eating habits and related thoughts.Eating disorders may also affect physical health and social life. There are several sub-categories of eating disorders, such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, and others.
 Anorexia nervosa is a type of self-starvation that causes people to be underweight for their height and age.This behavior is urged by fears of gaining weight or getting fat. People with anorexia nervosa have a body mass index (BMI) below 18.5. Anorexia could lead to very serious health problems such as heart failure, bone loss, gastrointestinal problems, and others.
 Bulimia nervosa is defined as eating a huge amount of food in a short amount of time. Some individuals force themselves to eat until they feel uncomfortable to the point of nausea. Bulimia is often related to a feeling of shame. Individuals with binge behavior can be normal weight, overweight, or even obese. A bulimia sufferer often goes unrecognized, even by their closest family or friends, because they do not appear underweight.
 Bulimia nervosa is similar to binge eating.Sufferers consume a large amount of food in a short period of time. They do not, however, force themselves to vomit, exercise, or misuse laxatives to get rid of the food.Binge eating could also lead to serious health complications such as diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular diseases.
 Social factors and even family can have an impact on eating disorders.Many people who have eating disorders have a negative body image.That became the main reason why they developed an eating disorder. Social factors are even worse! Society would comment on people's bodies all the time; they would judge your weight, how you eat, and your appearance without knowing what sufferers had been through.
 There are numerous signs and symptoms that are commonly overlooked by their surroundings, such as::
excessive attention to the food menu
Worrying about weight too much
Abuse of laxatives or laxatives
Excessive exercise
Eat lots of food or snacks.
Depression and feeling guilty about eating habits
Â
Not only weight loss, but eating disorders or deviations that are experienced during adolescent development are also characterized by several things, such as:
Â
often refuses to eat
The choice not to eat is usually made out of fear of eating too much. In fact, teenagers may avoid eating out with family or loved ones just to hide this unusual eating behavior. That way, they will be more flexible to eat small portions or regurgitate their food after eating it.
Â
Too picky about food
When your teen is used to eating very small amounts and being picky about food types, make sure they always weigh food before eating. Disorders or deviations in eating in adolescents tend to make them pay too much attention to the number of calories consumed, for fear of having a fat body. When in fact their body weight is classified as very low (like anorexia nervosa).
Â
likes to store food in hidden places
Instead of just storing one or two types of food because they like to snack, teenagers with binge eating disorders can have countless amounts of food in stock. Drawers, under the bed, and cupboards can be storage places for their favorite foods.
Â
Drastic weight changes
In contrast to weight loss due to illness, eating disorders or deviations in adolescents, such as anorexia, can reduce body weight until it is too thin. In addition to decreased body weight, this condition is also accompanied by strange eating behaviors. On the other hand, if a teenager has a binge eating disorder, their weight will actually increase dramatically because their appetite is out of control.
Â
Baca konten-konten menarik Kompasiana langsung dari smartphone kamu. Follow channel WhatsApp Kompasiana sekarang di sini: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaYjYaL4Spk7WflFYJ2H