While it is nice to have a family that is close and can talk to each other about their problems, being too close is not healthy. Everyone needs and is entitled to their privacy and teenagers do need to develop an identity that is separate from the family. Being pressured by parents to succeed academically is very stressful. If they do not achieve the marks that are expected of them, they may fear their parents will not love them, feel they have disappointed them, feel like a failure, which might lead them to starve themselves as a form of self punishment. Being raised in a home where the parents are very weight conscious, could lead the teenager to believe that weight and appearance are very important.
Many teenage girls learn to diet by watching their mothers.
Instead of learning that it's what's on the inside of a person that matters, they learn that appearance and looking good, which to them means being thin, is the most important part of being a woman. Schools should also take an active role in preventing eating disorders by educating the students on the dangers of eating disorders and helping to teach them that in order to succeed in life, their weight does not matter. You do not have to be thin, in order to succeed in the career of your choice. Teachers and school counselors should also be made aware of the signs to look for. If eating disorders are caught early, and the person is willing to accept the help that is available to them, the chances of recovery are greater.