Connecting with your teenager can be difficult, especially if they’re trying to hide something from you. Most teenagers will develop eating disorders or other problematic habits due to their friend circle, peer pressure, and the content they are exposed to online. Teenagers also often struggle with body dysmorphic disorder, where they are unsatisfied with their body type and appearance. These problems raise a lot of concerns among teenagers.

While parents don’t pay much attention to how much or how little their teenager eats, most teenagers either eat too much or don’t eat. In either case, they may be developing eating disorders that can harm them in the long run. Here are some signs you can look out for if you’re trying to understand whether or not your child has developed an eating disorder.

Let’s begin.

Rapid Weight Fluctuations

Most parents blame puberty if their teenager experiences a huge fluctuation in their weight – however, that’s not the real case. Teenagers will experience a rapid and extensive amount of weight loss or gain when they develop eating disorders. When a child stops eating enough food or eats too much, it tends to affect their overall body weight.

Monitoring your teenagers’ weight fluctuations can help you identify if a problem needs to be addressed.

Appetite Change

An uninterested teen unable to eat food.

If your teenager has enjoyed certain foods before but is now avoiding them to maintain a particular body type, it’s time for you to be concerned. Appetite changes can be a very common sign of developing an eating disorder.  

Physical Symptoms

Children developing eating disorders find ways to change the amount of food they eat. Some might hide a stash of food in their room to have access to snacks at all times, while others would avoid eating or forcefully vomit the food out. Both these eating disorders can harm your teenager’s overall development.

Natobe Healthcare offers behavioral health services and psychiatric care services for people unable to physically visit clinics and medical facilities. They offer psychiatric telehealth and in-person services for people in Illinois. If you want to book an appointment, get in touch with them today.

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