Disordered Eating/Eating Disorders Overview
Disordered eating refers to a range of irregular eating behaviors that may include restrictive dieting, binge eating, purging, excessive exercise, or an unhealthy preoccupation with food and body image. While these behaviors may not meet the full criteria for a diagnosable eating disorder, they can still significantly impact a teenager’s physical and mental health. It’s important to address disordered eating early on, as it can increase the risk of developing a full-blown eating disorder.
Signs & Symptoms
Constant thoughts about food, calories, weight, and body shape.
Skipping meals, avoiding certain food groups, or severely limiting calorie intake.
Eating large amounts of food in a short period of time, often in secret and with a feeling of loss of control.
Self-induced vomiting, misuse of laxatives, diuretics, or diet pills to compensate for overeating.
Compulsive exercise to burn calories or control weight.
Seeing oneself as overweight even when at a healthy weight.
Changes in mood related to food and body image.
Avoiding social situations that involve food or body image concerns.
Weight loss or fluctuations, fatigue, dizziness, hair loss, dry skin.
Causes & Risk Factors
Media portrayals of thinness, societal pressure to be thin, and diet culture can contribute to disordered eating.
Low self-esteem, perfectionism, anxiety, depression, and trauma can increase vulnerability to disordered eating.
Genetics and family history of eating disorders may play a role.
Stressful life events, such as puberty, school transitions, or relationship issues, can trigger disordered eating.
Improving Teen Disordered Eating
- Open communication: Create a safe and supportive environment where teens feel comfortable talking about their relationship with food and their body.
- Early intervention: Address disordered eating behaviors early on to prevent them from escalating into a full-blown eating disorder.
- Focus on health, not weight: Promote a healthy lifestyle that includes balanced nutrition, regular exercise, and positive body image.
- Challenge unhealthy messages: Help teens critically evaluate media messages and societal pressures related to body image.
- Seek professional help: If disordered eating is causing significant distress or impacting a teen’s health, seek guidance from a therapist or registered dietitian.
- Family involvement: Family therapy can help address family dynamics and provide support for both the teen and their family.
A List of Teen Mental Health Issues We Treat at Sullivan & Associates
Addiction is a chronic disease that affects the brain’s reward system and results in compulsive drug seeking and use, despite harmful consequences. While addiction can occur at any age, adolescence is a particularly vulnerable period. The teenage brain is still developing, making teens more susceptible to the effects of drugs and addictive behaviors. Teen addictions can include substance abuse (drugs, alcohol), behavioral addictions (gaming, internet use, gambling), and other compulsive behaviors.
Anxiety is a normal emotion that everyone experiences at some point. It’s a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome. However, for some teenagers, anxiety can become excessive, persistent, and interfere with their daily lives. Teen anxiety can manifest in various forms, including generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and phobias.
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition that affects how a person communicates, interacts with others, learns, and behaves. While often diagnosed in early childhood, autism is a lifelong condition that continues to affect individuals throughout adolescence and adulthood. Teenagers with autism may face unique challenges related to social interaction, communication, sensory sensitivities, and navigating the complexities of teenage life.
Depression is a serious mental health condition that goes beyond typical teenage mood swings. It’s a persistent feeling of sadness, hopelessness, and loss of interest that can significantly impact a teenager’s thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and overall well-being. It’s important to recognize that teen depression is not a weakness or a phase; it’s a real medical condition that requires understanding and support.
Disordered eating refers to a range of irregular eating behaviors that may include restrictive dieting, binge eating, purging, excessive exercise, or an unhealthy preoccupation with food and body image. While these behaviors may not meet the full criteria for a diagnosable eating disorder, they can still significantly impact a teenager’s physical and mental health. It’s important to address disordered eating early on, as it can increase the risk of developing a full-blown eating disorder.
Emotion regulation is the ability to understand, manage, and respond to one’s emotions in healthy and appropriate ways. It’s a crucial skill for everyone, but it’s especially important for teenagers who are navigating the intense emotional ups and downs of adolescence. Developing strong emotion regulation skills can help teens cope with stress, build healthy relationships, and make responsible decisions.
Learn More About Emotion RegulationLearn About AngerLearn About Behavioural IssuesLearn About Self-Harm
Grief is a natural response to loss, but for teenagers, navigating grief can be particularly challenging. They’re already going through significant physical, emotional, and social changes, and experiencing a loss can feel overwhelming. Teen grief can stem from various experiences, including the death of a loved one, the ending of a relationship, the loss of a pet, or even changes like moving or switching schools.
Inattention and motor restlessness are common challenges during adolescence. While these behaviors can be a normal part of teenage development, they can also be signs of underlying issues like Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), anxiety, learning difficulties, or other conditions. It’s important to understand the causes and potential impact of these behaviors to provide appropriate support and intervention when needed.
Learning disabilities are neurodevelopmental disorders that affect the brain’s ability to receive, process, store, and respond to information. They can impact a person’s ability to read, write, speak, listen, reason, or do math. While learning disabilities are often identified during childhood, they can continue to pose challenges for teenagers as academic demands increase and social pressures intensify.
Being a lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning (LGBTQ+) teenager comes with unique challenges and experiences. While society is becoming more accepting, LGBTQ+ teens still often face discrimination, prejudice, and a lack of understanding. This can make adolescence, already a challenging time, even more complex.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a mental health condition characterized by unwanted, intrusive thoughts, images, or urges (obsessions) that trigger intensely distressing feelings. These obsessions are often followed by repetitive behaviors or mental acts (compulsions) that a person feels driven to perform in an attempt to reduce anxiety or prevent a feared event. OCD can affect people of all ages, including teenagers.
Psychosis is a mental health condition that causes people to lose touch with reality. During a psychotic episode, teenagers may experience hallucinations (seeing or hearing things that aren’t there) and delusions (false beliefs that are not based on reality). Psychosis can be very frightening and disruptive, and it’s crucial to seek professional help if a teenager is showing signs of psychosis.
Relationships are a crucial part of teenage life, offering opportunities for connection, support, and growth. However, navigating the world of friendships and romantic relationships can also be a source of stress, confusion, and heartache for teens. Teen relationship issues can involve conflicts with friends, navigating the complexities of dating, dealing with breakups, and managing social pressures.
Learn More About Relationship IssuesLearn About Family IssuesLearn About Teasing and Bullying
Sleep is crucial for teenagers’ physical and mental health, especially during this period of rapid growth and development. Unfortunately, many teens struggle with getting enough sleep, leading to a range of problems that can affect their mood, school performance, and overall well-being. Insomnia, the most common sleep disorder, is characterized by difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or getting enough restful sleep.
Trauma is an emotional response to a distressing or disturbing event that overwhelms an individual’s ability to cope. While everyone experiences challenging situations in life, a traumatic event is one that poses a serious threat to one’s physical or emotional well-being, leaving a lasting impact on their mental health. For teenagers, trauma can be particularly challenging as they navigate the already complex terrain of adolescence.