Eating Disorder in Adolescent

Eating Disorders involve the presence of unhelpful eating habits or weight control behaviour that disrupt a person's physical and psychosocial functioning. Serious medical complications, such as heart problems and even death, may result as a consequence.

• Strict dietary rules
• Restrictive food intake
• Binge-eating
• Preoccupation with food
• Altered mealtime behaviours

• Self-induced vomiting
• Misuse of laxatives or diuretics
• Excessive exercise

• Significant low body weight
• Intense fear of gaining weight or becoming fat, despite significant low weight
• Evaluation of self's body weight or shape as much larger or heavier that it is in reality
• A lack of awareness of current low body weight
• Restrictive food intake or/and excessive exercise
• Binge eating or/and purging behaviours
• Serious medical complications

• Binge-eating
• A sense of losing control during the binge
• Recurrent weight control behaviour to compensate for the binge
• Frequent binge eating and compensatory behaviour (at least once a week for 3 months)
• Self-evaluation is unduly influenced by body shape and weight

Treatment options include:

• Cognitive behavioural therapy to establish a pattern of regular eating, and target any unhelpful beliefs and expectations that may be maintaining or worsening the condition.
• Blood tests and other investigations might be performed to exclude physical complications secondary to the psychiatric condition.