Read this -> What is Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia

Overeating related to tension, poor nutritional habits and food fads are relatively common eating problems for youngsters. In addition, two psychiatric eating disorders, anorexia nervosa and bulimia, are on the increase among teenagers girls and young adults and often run in families. In the United States, as many as 10 in 100 young women and young men suffer from an eating disorder. These two eating disorders also occur in boys, but much less often. The child and adolescent psychiatrist is trained to evaluate, diagnose, and treat these psychiatric disorders which are characterized by a preoccupation with food and a distortion of body image.

Parents frequently ask how to identify symptoms of anorexia nervosa and bulimia. Unfortunately, many teenagers successfully hide these serious and sometimes fatal disorders from their families for many months or years.

Parents should be on the lookout for various symptoms and warning signs of anorexia nervosa and bulimia:

o A teenager with anorexia nervosa is typically a perfectionist and a high achiever in school. At the same time, they suffer from low self-esteem, irrationally believing they are fat regardless of how thin they become. Desperately needing a feeling of mastery over their life, the teenager with anorexia nervosa experiences a sense of control only when they say "no" to the normal food demands of their body. In a relentless pursuit to be thin, they starve themselves. This often reaches the point of serious damage to the body, and in a small number of cases may lead to death.

o The symptoms of bulimia are usually different from those of anorexia nervosa. The patient binges on huge quantities of high-caloric food and/or purges her body of dreaded calories by self-induced vomiting and often by using laxatives. These binges may alternate with severe diets, resulting in dramatic weight fluctuations. Teenagers may try to hide the signs of throwing up by running water while spending long periods of time in the bathroom. The purging of bulimia presents a serious threat to the patient's physical health, including dehydration, hormonal imbalance, the depletion of important minerals, and damage to vital organs.

With comprehensive treatment, most teenagers can be relieved of the symptoms or helped to control eating disorders. Treatment for eating disorders usually requires a team approach; including individual therapy, family therapy, working with a primary care physician, working with a nutritionist, and medication. Many adolescents also suffer from other problems; including depression, anxiety, and substance abuse. It is important to recognize and get appropriate treatment for these problems as well.

Research shows that early identification and treatment leads to more favorable outcomes. Parents who notice symptoms of anorexia or bulimia in their teenagers should ask their family physician or pediatrician for a referral to a child and adolescent psychiatrist who works comprehensively in the treatment of eating disorders and can coordinate the treatment team.

Thank you Josh!

Chances are high that I have anorexia nervosa... and I love it. Does that make me a bad person? To want to be thin? To be perfect? I keep putting my gf through hell, but I think it's worth it.

a part of my think i have some sort of eating disorda, but i dont think that i am skiiiny, everone esle say it though. can you have an eating disorda but no be bones?

you shure can
i would really work on apresiating the way you look

Originally Posted by Evrythng_im_not

Chances are high that I have anorexia nervosa... and I love it. Does that make me a bad person? To want to be thin? To be perfect? I keep putting my gf through hell, but I think it's worth it.

no it doesn't make you bad...i mean, it's hard..but its work it to try to fix it

ok well i agree with all that josh, i have struggled in the past with an eating disorder for like 5 years, and have battled anorexia and bulimia, and that is all true. i have over come my addicition but right at this moment i kinda want to just go back. not for any attention it's just i want to be thin again, because i gained so much weight in this past year...what should i do? help!

VCSCjosie, I only have Anorexia and Bulimia for an year and I`ve tried to recover so many times and I understand you. I`ve read that even if you recover from an ED you`ll always want to get back, `cause it`s an addiction... it`s like drugs. And once you`ve been brain-washed by Anorexia, even if you eat well, you have the mental illnes for the whole life. I think that if you were strong enough to recover, you`ll have the courage to continue this way. Just keep telling yourself that you feel much better this way, think of things that have changed in your life and have made you happier after you recovered and most importantly - keep telling yourself that you`ve had the courage to recover once and you`ll never ever be blinded again, `cause you`re so much more than a stupid diet and an obsession

i love losing weight.i dont want to stop.everytime i reach a goal i set a lower one.sometimes i wonder whats wrong with me.but most of the time im depressed until i dont eat.

Originally Posted by lizi

i love losing weight.i dont want to stop.everytime i reach a goal i set a lower one.sometimes i wonder whats wrong with me.but most of the time im depressed until i dont eat.

it sounds like you are developing/have an eating disorder
if anything you should consult your family doctor

Originally Posted by VCSCjosie

ok well i agree with all that josh, i have struggled in the past with an eating disorder for like 5 years, and have battled anorexia and bulimia, and that is all true. i have over come my addicition but right at this moment i kinda want to just go back. not for any attention it's just i want to be thin again, because i gained so much weight in this past year...what should i do? help!

if you go back think about all da things you went through to get to the healthy point you are at now
if you go back you just have to work hard again to get back out
you might have gained weight but you probably look a lot better

Originally Posted by titanic

a part of my think i have some sort of eating disorda, but i dont think that i am skiiiny, everone esle say it though. can you have an eating disorda but no be bones?

not thinking that you are skinny can sometimes be a problem if u r trying to deny it as a problem
but u can have 1 and not b bones
it isnt all just being skinny and physical appearance its about mental stuff 2

Originally Posted by Evrythng_im_not

Chances are high that I have anorexia nervosa... and I love it. Does that make me a bad person? To want to be thin? To be perfect? I keep putting my gf through hell, but I think it's worth it.

y do u love that chances are high? are you suicdial?are you trying to get attention or escape something? it doesnt make you a bad person it just means u have a problem just like everyone in the world but ur problem isnt easily understood
try to think y do u want to b thin? r u healthy rite now? y do u think being thin=perfect? IT DOESN'T. when you read obituaries in the newspapers do u see the people telling about how thin the person was or how much they weighed etc. no they tell about all the things they have done in their life to touch other peoples lives and all the good times
if you rele care about your gf you wouldnt think it was worth it bc u never no that can lead to a break up seriously

Originally Posted by Evrythng_im_not

Chances are high that I have anorexia nervosa... and I love it. Does that make me a bad person? To want to be thin? To be perfect? I keep putting my gf through hell, but I think it's worth it.

Hmm, well i dont think you should love it, and you arent a bad person. Being thin is good, but being anorexic is far from being 'perfect' no ones body is perfect. I'm over weight, but i dont want to be anorexic, because, it doesnt look good. Well, to others that is. Like, a girl would rather have a guy thats fat, then an anorexic one. I suggest to try and fix it, for your gf. If you love her anyways. I suggest, to just work out, and exercise, if you want to have a somewhat perfect body, after curing your anorexia. x:

Alsooo (Just noticed how old your post was, sorry. But, its still good to answer )

Originally Posted by lolly_manson

VCSCjosie, I only have Anorexia and Bulimia for an year and I`ve tried to recover so many times and I understand you. I`ve read that even if you recover from an ED you`ll always want to get back, `cause it`s an addiction... it`s like drugs. And once you`ve been brain-washed by Anorexia, even if you eat well, you have the mental illnes for the whole life. I think that if you were strong enough to recover, you`ll have the courage to continue this way. Just keep telling yourself that you feel much better this way, think of things that have changed in your life and have made you happier after you recovered and most importantly - keep telling yourself that you`ve had the courage to recover once and you`ll never ever be blinded again, `cause you`re so much more than a stupid diet and an obsession

it is like an addiction.
i feel high and empty and happy and giddy when i don't eat,
so i continuously seek to get that feeling again.
i have tried many times to change my thoughts and behaviours to eat like a 'normal person,' but i always fail.
and that scares me.

my opinion is its peoples choice. if you want to be thin and struggle wiv eating healthy.. some people find its the only option to make themselves throw up or starve themselves, its there choice and it doesnt make them a bad person. x

Its not really a choice though is it. You dont chose to think like and be like that.

God, you try having this DISEASE.
You do not choose to be anorexic. Or bulimic.
It is a disease, a disorder, one that controls you and can destroy you.

No one would want to be like this, no one chooses this, do you choose to develop schizophrenia? No. Do you choose to have ADHD? No. Do you choose to have cancer? No. You do not choose to have a mental health disorder. You must have had a lovely life if you think people choose this day to day life of hell.

I have anorexia and bulimia, currently trying to recover, doing well with bulimia, but I am extremely ill(main cause is not the ED) and eating is hard when you feel as ill as I do, so anorexia is not going so well but I am eating, so better than nothing.

Yeah, I understand you guys. It is not easy to have that ill. At first, it is more on psychological I think because there was a time that I wanted to be thin. So I don't eat a lot. Thanks God that I overcome this desease.

Originally Posted by TheWizard

A teenager with anorexia nervosa is typically a perfectionist and a high achiever in school. At the same time, she suffers from low self-esteem, irrationally believing she is fat regardless of how thin she becomes. Desperately needing a feeling of mastery over her life, the teenager with anorexia nervosa experiences a sense of control only when she says "no" to the normal food demands of her body. In a relentless pursuit to be thin, the girl starves herself. This often reaches the point of serious damage to the body, and in a small number of cases may lead to death.

this sounds exactly like what i've got, plus some other stuff.

i've got a theripist ready for me when i go back to school.

any other things i can do to deal with this? DON'T YOU DARE REPY EAT.

p.s. [email protected] A GUY, it can happen to both sexes

Anorexia Nervosa is characterised by a preoccupation with thinness, even though the person is underweight. Bulimia Nervosa is characterised by cycles of binge eating followed by behaviour to prevent weight gain. Individuals may have a mixture of symptoms and some people develop bulimia nervosa after anorexia nervosa. Both illnesses can be overcome, and the sooner the person seeks advice about the condition the better.

people tease me because they think im anorexic, but im really not. i don't starve myself, i don't think im fat...

i have recovered on my own from bulemia however i eat mostly fruits and veiggies not carbs or foods with lots of calories i still have anoerxic tendencies and have been batteling them for 6 years