Warning Signs of Anorexia1
Jacqueline Endaya and Linda Bobroff2
[Click thumbnail to enlarge.]
With concerns about childhood obesity on the rise, the plight of young people with eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa may not be on many people's minds. However, according to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, between 5 and 10 million people, including 1% of American teens, have an eating disorder (Collins, 2004). Anorexia nervosa, an eating disorder characterized by excessive weight loss and severely distorted body image, is one of the most common psychiatric diagnoses in young women (Dubé, 2001).
Often parents and friends fail to recognize warning signs of anorexia. Teens with anorexia may comment about feeling "fat" or overweight, although they actually are losing weight. They may become preoccupied with food, calories, fat grams, and dieting. Parents may find it difficult to get them to participate in family meals, and when they do they tend to eat very little, and will chew excessively and rearrange food on their plate. Teens with anorexia will often withdraw from friends, family, and activities, and may exercise for hours at a time.
Early identification and treatment of anorexia nervosa is essential to avoid serious health effects and even death. Parents who suspect that their teen has an eating disorder should ask their family physician or pediatrician for a referral to a child and adolescent psychiatrist. Treatment usually involves a team of physicians, therapists, and nutritionists who provide counseling, nutrition therapy, and medication (Segal, 2004). The most important thing that family and friends can offer a person dealing with anorexia is unconditional love.
Listening, learning, and living together: it's the science of life. "Family Album" is a co-production of University of Florida IFAS Extension, the Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences, and of WUFT-FM. If you'd like to learn more, please visit our website at http://www.familyalbumradio.org.
To listen to the radio broadcast:
http://www.radiosource.net/radio_stories/407.mp3
http://www.radiosource.net/radio_stories/407.wav
References
American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychology. (2004, July). Teenagers with eating disorders. Retrieved October 5, 2005, from http://www.aacap.org/publications/factsfam/eating.htm.
Dubé, B.(2001, January). Anorexia nervosa. Retrieved October 5, 2005, from http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000362.htm.
Segal, J. (2004, March). Anorexia: signs, symptoms, causes, effects and treatments. Retrieved Oct 5, 2005, from http://www.helpguide.org/mental/anorexia_signs_symptoms_causes_treatment.htm.
Footnotes
This document is FAR8055, one of a series of the Family Youth and Community Sciences Department, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Broadcast as program 407 in January 2007. Published on EDIS August 2012. In the interest of time and/or clarity, the broadcast version of this script may have been modified. Visit the EDIS website at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu.
Jacqueline Endaya, student, and Linda Bobroff, professor, Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences, Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611.
The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) is an Equal
Opportunity Institution authorized to provide research, educational
information and other services only to individuals and institutions
that function with non-discrimination with respect to race, creed,
color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital
status, national origin, political opinions or affiliations.
For more information on obtaining other extension publications,
contact your county Cooperative Extension service.
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service,
University of Florida, IFAS, Florida A. & M. University Cooperative
Extension Program, and Boards of County Commissioners Cooperating. Nick T. Place,
Dean.
