Eating Disorders Overeating related to tension, poor nutritional habits and food fads are common eating problems for young people. In addition, two psychiatric eating disorders, anorexia nervosa and bulimia, are on the increase among teenage girls and young women. These two disorders, characterized by a preoccupation with food also occur in boys, but much less often. General Practitioners can assess these disorders that affect physical and mental health and are , and then refer to appropriate specialists.
Parents frequently ask how to identify symptoms of anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa.
The fact is that many teenagers are for many months or years successful in hiding these serious and sometimes fatal disorders from their families. At the same time, she suffers from low self-esteem, irrationally believing she is fat regardless of how thin she becomes. The cause of the condition is not precisely known. 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.