🍽️ Eating Disorders in Children & Teens


Overview:

Eating disorders are serious mental and physical health conditions where a child or teen develops an unhealthy relationship with food, body image, or exercise.

These conditions are not about vanity — they are complex illnesses linked to anxiety, control, trauma, genetics, and societal pressure.


Children and teens with eating disorders often struggle silently, using food or restriction as a way to feel safe or in control. Recognizing the early signs can be life-saving 💕


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💡 Types of Eating Disorders

1. Anorexia Nervosa: Restricting food intake due to an intense fear of gaining weight, even when underweight.

2. Bulimia Nervosa: Repeated cycles of binge eating followed by purging (vomiting, laxatives, fasting, or over-exercising).

3. Binge-Eating Disorder: Eating large amounts of food in a short period, feeling out of control, and then feeling shame or guilt.

4. Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID): Extremely selective eating not due to body image, but often sensory or fear-based (common in children).


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📊 Prevalence & Facts

• According to the National Institute of Mental Health (2023), 2.7% of U.S. adolescents aged 13–18 experience an eating disorder each year.

• A 2022 JAMA Pediatrics study found that 22% of children and adolescentsworldwide show disordered eating behaviors (Mitchison et al., 2022).

• Eating disorders are the second deadliest mental health condition after opioid use disorder, due to severe malnutrition and medical complications (Arcelus et al., 2011).

• About 85–90% of those diagnosed are female, though rates in boys are increasing due to rising body image pressures.


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💭 Common Signs in Kids & Teens

• Skipping meals or eating very little

• Obsession with calories, dieting, or “clean eating”

• Weighing themselves often or body checking

• Avoiding meals with family or eating secretly

• Excessive exercise or guilt after eating

• Dramatic weight changes (up or down)

• Mood changes — irritability, anxiety, or depression


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🧠 Why It Happens


Eating disorders develop through a mix of biological, psychological, and social factors, including:

• Genetics and family history

• Perfectionism or anxiety disorders

• Bullying or body shaming

• Pressure from sports, dance, or modeling

• Exposure to idealized social media images


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🌷 How Families Can Help

• Focus conversations on health, strength, and happiness, not appearance or weight.

• Avoid labeling foods as “good” or “bad.”

• Keep mealtimes calm, consistent, and free of conflict.

• Encourage your child to share feelings rather than hiding them.

• Seek help early — treatment works best when started soon after symptoms appear.

• Involve a pediatrician, therapist, and registered dietitian who specialize in eating disorders.


💬 Remember: recovery is possible — every small step counts, and healing takes patience and support.


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References:

• Mitchison, D., et al. (2022). Global proportion of disordered eating in children and adolescents: A meta-analysis. JAMA Pediatrics, 176(12), e224077.

• Arcelus, J., et al. (2011). Mortality rates in patients with anorexia nervosa and other eating disorders. Archives of General Psychiatry, 68(7), 724–731.

• National Institute of Mental Health (2023). Eating Disorders Statistics. Retrieved from https://www.nimh.nih.gov