Eating Disorders and Adolescents

Eating disordered can have a negative impact on a person's emotional, social and physical wellbeing. It may lead to fatigue, malnutrition or poor concentration. It can affect someone's social life (when socialising is restricted due to anxiety around food/eating), and can lead to anxiety and depression.

Eating disordered behaviours and attitudes include:

·         Binge eating

·         Dieting

·         Skipping meals regularly

·         Self-induced vomiting

·         Obsessive calorie counting

·         Self-worth based on body shape and weight

·         Fasting or chronic restrained eating

 "Normal eating" refers to the attitude a person holds in their relationship with food, rather than the type or amount of food they eat.

It is normal to:

·         Eat more on some days, less on others

·         Eat some foods just because they taste good

·         Have a positive attitude towards food

·         Not label foods with judgement words such as "good", "bad", "clean"

·         Over-eat occasionally

·         Under-eat occasionally

·         Crave certain foods at times

·         Treat food and eating as one small part of a balanced life