The signs and symptoms of eating disorders vary with the particular type of eating disorder. Below are a list of the signs and symptoms a person with Anorexia nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa:

Anorexia Nervosa

Anorexia symptoms may include:

• Thin appearance

• Abnormal blood counts

• Fatigue

• Dizziness or fainting

• Brittle nails

• Hair that thins, breaks or falls out

• Soft, downy hair covering the body

• Menstrual irregularities or loss of menstruation (amenorrhea)

• Constipation

• Dry skin

• Frequently being cold

• Irregular heart rhythms

• Low blood pressure

• Dehydration

• Bone loss

Emotional and behavioral symptoms of anorexia may include:

• Refusal to eat

• Denial of hunger

• Excessive exercise

• Flat mood or lack of emotion

• Difficulty concentrating

• Preoccupation with food

Red flags that family and friends may notice include:

• Skipping meals

• Making excuses for not eating

• Eating only a few certain “safe” foods, usually those low in fat and calories

• Adopting rigid meal or eating rituals, such as cutting food into tiny pieces or spitting food out after chewing

• Weighing food

• Cooking elaborate meals for others but refusing to eat them themselves

• Repeated weighing of themselves

• Frequent checking in the mirror for perceived flaws

• Wearing baggy or layered clothing

• Complaining about being fat

Bulimia Nervosa
Bulimia symptoms may include:

• Abnormal bowel functioning

• Damaged teeth and gums

• Swollen salivary glands in the cheeks

• Sores in the throat and mouth

• Bloating

• Dehydration

• Fatigue

• Dry skin

• Irregular heartbeat

• Sores, scars or calluses on the knuckles or hands

• Menstrual irregularities or loss of menstruation (amenorrhea)

Emotional and behavioral symptoms of bulimia may include:

• Constant dieting

• Feeling that you can’t control your eating behavior

• Eating until the point of discomfort or pain

• Self-induced vomiting

• Laxative use

• Excessive exercise

• Unhealthy focus on body shape and weight

• Having a distorted, excessively negative body image

• Going to the bathroom after eating or during meals

• Hoarding food

• Depression or anxiety

Celebrities posing for magazines and starring in films and music videos can spell it out for us: Leanness is the new universal standard for beauty. Of course, one may always disagree. But apparently, most don’t. The estimated 10 million girls who are suffering from eating disorders can attest to that fact.

Teens, especially the girls, are naturally preoccupied over their looks. It is innate for them to make sure that they look their best all the time. However, there are times when these young girls don’t realize that they are already going overboard, and that their means they resort to in an effort to keep up with what’s hip and what’s in, just might take its toll on their health. They are often oblivious to the fact that they are already suffering from eating disorders.

What are eating disorders? Eating disorders are abnormal eating patterns and compulsive actions and behaviors that are being done to lose weight. But in this case, the amount of weight that a person with an eating disorder tries to get rid off is not ideal and thus, will cause medical problems. Aside from this, a person who has an eating disorder obsesses over losing weight to the extent that he or she never quite gets satisfied with the amount of weight that he or has already lost. More often than not, the more weight is loss, the fatter a person with an eating disorder sees him or herself. Of course, it is important to note that people who are suffering from eating disorders do not see themselves the way other people do. This is part of the psychological problem that they have to face.

There are two most common eating disorders among teens. The first one is called Anorexia nervosa, while the other one is called the Bulimia nervosa. The two disorders are quite similar to each other, but Anorexia is by far the worse disorder because it may involve starvation. Basically, an Anorexic person starves him or herself to lose weight. On occasions when he or she does eat, he or she forces the food out of his stomach immediately after eating through vomiting, or through the use fo laxatives. On the other hand, a person who suffers from Bulimia resorts to binge eating. After having eaten, he or she would then force the food out of his stomach immediately after eating it. Similar to Anorexics, Bulimics doo this through vomiting or the use laxatives.

A news feature posted in the website of The Australian reported that a new trend has been adapted to combat anorexia. The new trend involves the acyive involvement of the parents of the Anorexics.

Called the Maudley Approach, this method of curing the Anorexia, an eating disorder that is pervasive among teens and young adults, is certified drug-free. It would allow the patients to be cared for at home; thus making it less expensive for the parents who had to spend much in hospitalizing their teens. Through this method, the parents will be taught how to cure their teens on first-hand basis. This is through a method that will be employed by the parents, wherein they will insist that the teen eats, and to allow a “staged acknowledgment” of the child’s autonomy as weight and healthy eating patterns are regained.

Studies conducted to follow the progress of patients who underwent this method prove that this method is indeed effective. As a matter of fact, two-thirds of anorexia patients recovered by the end of the treatment. Further, 75 to 90 per cent of the anorexia patients who tried this method were reported to have normal weight after five years.