Teenage bulimia nervosa is similar to teenage anorexia in the aspect that it is a condition related to eating. Teenagers suffering from teenage bulimia nervosa will often be concerned with their size and shape of their body. However, unlike teenage anorexia, the teenagers dealing with teenage bulimia will not starve themselves. Actually, they will generally binge eat. This means that he or she will consume a large amount of food at any given time. Generally, these teenagers will be consuming high calorie foods and sweets and will feel that they are not able to control this behaviour.
What is interesting about teenage bulimia is that when the teenager is finished with their binge eating, they will most likely feel ashamed and will then engage in different activities and try different methods in order to get rid of the food they have just consumed from their body. Most of the time the individuals will induce vomiting, complete excessive exercising routines, take laxatives, diuretics or even begin fasting.
Teenagers exercising as part of a healthy lifestyle are not suffering from an eating disorder.
However, teens that are exercising excessively will have a difficult time completing everyday tasks because they are to busy exercising. Teenagers suffering from teenage bulimia may also be observed exercising at inappropriate times. They will also refuse to stop exercising even after they have suffered from some type of injury.
Something that makes eating disorders such as teenage bulimia very frightening is the fact that the teenager never really experiences a decrease in their fear related to weight gain. This fear does not subside as they start losing weight and they will generally continue to be obsessed with their weight.
Other conditions or concerns that should be taken into consideration when your teenager is dealing with teenage bulimia are low self-esteem, symptoms of depression, and other mood disorders. Often times the start of the bulimia can be traced back to the start of the mood disorder. It is easy to see that there may be a number of different issues that may be experienced when your teenager is suffering from bulimia.
Parents need to keep their eyes open if they believe that their child is suffering from teenage bulimia nervosa. They also need to keep in mind that there are two different types of bulimia that may be experienced. The child may be dealing with the purging type which means that they are using laxatives, diuretics, or even inducing vomiting in order to overcome a binge. However, the child may also be suffering from the non-purging type. These individuals may be engaging in the fasting or excessive exercising in order to decrease weight. If any of these behaviours are noticed by a parent then the issue should be addressed with the child. It is very important to determine when the behaviour started and for how long it has been going on. This can help parents determine the appropriate type of help for their child.
In the book “Solving Teenage Problems” several tips have been provided to deal with teenage bulimia problem. These tips can help you to address the problem and provide the right kind of support to your child.
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