Dr Asha Pemberton
teenhealth.tt@gmail.com
It is estimated that as many as one in every ten adolescents has had a struggle with an eating disorder, including anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa or binge-eating disorder. In recent clinical practice since the pandemic, it has absolutely been identified that many of our young people have these struggles. Specifically regarding anorexia nervosa, we have recognised young people locally who are subjecting or recently subjected their bodies to starvation and unhealthy disordered eating practices to manipulate their body weight, shape or size.
Eating disorders are sometimes hard to identify at first as young people become experts at hiding their abnormal eating behaviour from those close to them. Nevertheless, eating disorders are mental illnesses with high rates of death, due to many associated medical complications.
Eating disorders most commonly start in girls between ages 14 and 17 years but are also seen in adolescent boys and younger children. Although overall, girls with eating disorders outnumber boys by about ten to one we must not forget that more and more male teens are being diagnosed. The root causes of eating disorders are complex. A combination of genetics/family history, influences of social media and culture on the definition of beauty, low self-esteem and other emotional health conditions all increase the risk of these disorders.
The young adolescent mind is fragile, and constant messages that promote thinness as beauty can erode the sense of self and value of a teenagers and older children. Once these teens develop abnormal eating and exercise behaviours in response to a stress or trigger, a vicious cycle of starvation, or binging and purging develops, and leads to anorexia nervosa.
Anorexia nervosa is defined as a disorder that includes self-starvation and the relentless pursuit of thinness using many unhealthy activities to prevent weight gain. There is the extreme preoccupation with food, weight, and shape; severely erratic or inadequate food intake; and disordered emotional regulation regarding eating. Affected young people often have other symptoms of anxiety, depression, and obsessive-compulsive thoughts and symptoms.
As eating disorders develop, rapid losses of weight are often initially supported and applauded by family members and friends who are unaware of the unhealthy practices and emotional distress underlying. This initial praise unfortunately encourages young people to continue or increase their efforts. When significant weight loss occurs, affected teens become weak, unable to concentrate, and females stop having a menstrual period or it becomes irregular, which is a particularly worrisome sign of poor overall health and extreme low-body weight.
Medical complications of eating disorders
• Arrhythmias or irregular heartbeat and heart failure
• Kidney and liver injury
• Loss of muscle mass and 'stick-thin' arms and legs
• Perman
