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Eating disorders are on the rise among teenagers. Peer pressure, SATs, growth spurts, college, and the other pressures of teenage life are hard to deal with. For many teenagers, eating disorders can become either a way to cope with stress, or 'fix' the problems. Eating disorders are more common, and more talked about among girls, but they are increasing among boys also. Someone suffering from an eating disorder needs help as soon as possible. Here are some tips to recognize if your teens may be developing, or have, an eating disorder.

Eat together a couple times a week.
Eating with your teens several times a week will allow you to get a feel for their eating habits. Watch for changes in those habits over a period of time. A one night change shouldn't worry you, but a severe change that lasts for several weeks should be talked about.

Sudden Weight Change
A noticeable change in weight within a short period of time, especially if your teen's weight continues going up or down, can be a sign of a problem.

Anorexia and Bulimia Nervosa
Some clues specific to these disorders:

Listen for 'fat' talk.
Every teenage girl has complained about being fat. When should you be concerned? When she stops celebrating weight loss, and is not happy no matter how many pounds she loses. And when she talks about her entire body being fat, rather then 'my but is so big,' or 'my arms are to flabby.' In extreme cases, you will hear a girl complaining about being obese when her bones are sticking out at the wrists.

Watch for bones.
Hopefully you will realize something is wrong before it gets this far; but some teens are good at hiding their eating habits. If you start seeing your teen's collar bones and wrist bones sticking out, she is starving. Get her help. (And talk with your doctor: there are medical problems that can have the same effect.)

Obsessive Eating
The less talked about eating disorder. Obsessive eating is an inability to stop eating, especially in times of stress. Some clues to watch for:

Are they enjoying food?
An obsessive eater generally doesn't enjoy what she or he eats, she just eats. Be worried if your teenager is eating large amounts of food, constantly, but doesn't realize how much she is eating, and/or isn't enjoying what she is eating.

Watch for cravings
We all get food cravings once in a while. Obsessive eaters have them constantly. They go around with food constantly in their hands, and can get irrationally upset if they can't find something to quiet the craving. These craving will typically worsen when under stress.

These are just a few suggestions. If you are worried, talk with your doctor about your concerns. And don't forget: eating disorders are a reaction to problems that only exist in the mind. If your teen really is overweight, and starts cutting back at meals, don't worry; congratulate her.

Learn more about this author, Jessica Burde.
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