When Food Is The Enemy

The period of adolescence is most stressful for individuals. The physical and psychological changes that a teen experiences are more often than not confusing and therefore stressful. This is the same time, a teen becomes aware of the society’s changing attitude towards her. She is now viewed as a young adult. At the same time, parental or guardians continue to exercise their control over them. The teen therefore is confused about the role she is expected to play. Added to this, the physical transformation that a teen experiences, which includes becoming aware of her own sexuality, makes things more stressful. Some teens take this in their stride. But for some this period becomes a major hurdle in life. It is this latter group that often becomes prone to emotional problems, a serious manifestation of which is eating disorders. Although teenage boys also suffer from eating disorders, it is more rampant in teenage girls.

A teenage girl is often seen to be obsessed with the way she looks. The red thin models and actresses in magazines and television, foster a teenagers opinion of what is the ‘ideal look.’ These so called perfect body forms (actresses and models) become their role models. Their bodies become the centre point of all their worries and apprehensions regarding their teen existence.

Eating disorders manifest themselves as either anorexia or bulimia nervosa. Parents should watch out for the following warning signs, even though most of the times a teen manages to hide them well.

Symptoms

She will only pick at her food, rarely eating complete meals. She believes that she is fat no matter how thin she is. It is as though saying ‘no’ to food will solve all her problems. The result is that she will starve herself, always making some excuse or the other for avoiding food.

In bulimia nervosa a teenage girl will alternate between consuming high calorie food and going on extreme diets. The high consumption will be followed by self induced vomiting or using excessive laxatives. Watch out for long periods spent in the bathroom. They usually keep the water running to drown out the sounds.

Generally not sociable with family or outsiders. Behaviour characterized by moodiness or irritability.

Depression and giving voice to suicidal thoughts.

Obsessive rituals like drinking from a particular cup or plate.

General lethargy and giving up hobbies which might have been of particular interest during childhood.

Bingeing and starving affects the vital organs of the body and one of the earliest signs of this is that a girl stops menstruating.

Lack of body fluids starts affecting the appearance of the hair and nails and the colour of the skin.

Dizziness or fatigue

Digestive problems that can result in either constipation or diarrhea.



What are the factors that predispose a teen to eating disorders?

Eating disorders can be triggered by a several factors. The family plays a very important role in fostering or keeping this disorder at bay. A child coming from a family where she rarely receives emotional support in dealing with the issues of teenage life, starts looking at food as a source of comfort, which she can also manipulate (avoid or binge). Teens belonging to dysfunctional families, where they are victims of emotional, physical or sexual abuse, steer towards eating disorders. Furthermore, if a parent is obsessed with appearance, especially the mother, the teenage girl learns to emulate that.

Peers can be the biggest support for a teen because they are all dealing with similar issues. Or they can be the strongest contributors to eating disorders. If a teenaged girl is bullied or jeered at, in school or college, because of body weight or shape, then, quite naturally, food becomes the greatest enemy.

Any immediate event that a teenager is unable to cope with, say the loss of a friend or moving schools or some personal disappointment eg: low marks or inability to secure a role in a school play, can trigger eating disorders.

Psychiatrists have also identified a biological factor that predisposes a person to eating disorders. An imbalance of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that has to do with mood and brain functions, can lead to eating disorder. At times it becomes a vicious cycle; a serotonin imbalance leads to ineffective coping styles, which in turn leads fasting, bingeing and vomiting, which in turn leads to more imbalance of serotonin.

The society that one lives in often fosters its own stereotype of ideal body weight and attractiveness that a teen may not be able to cope with.

Treatment

Like any bad habit, the longer one suffers from an eating disorder, the more difficult it is to break the habit. A cure is possible and the road to recovery involves the individual along with her family and at times support groups involving those who are suffering from a similar problem. Treatment alternates between therapy under a mental health professional, which involves a gamut of therapies to enable a person to break the shackles of the problem. Medical treatment also becomes imperative to restoring physical health.

Dieticians and nutritionists also play an important role as they reacquaint a person to what is healthy and normal eating.



In conclusion, eating disorders can be prevented and the onus of the responsibilities lies on the parents. They must be attuned to their child’s emotional needs. “Growing up teen” is no excuse for shunning emotional support. It is necessary to recognize the importance of being non-judgmental. Do not assume that a teenager is grown up and will not welcome love and affection. In fact unconditional love and acceptance is often the key to the problems teens are afraid of. Let them know that they are not alone, at the same time give them the space to develop their own coping skills.

Source: magnamags