Eating Disorders in Teens – Q&A with Morgan

Hi, everyone! Anxiety in Teens is starting a new section, every Monday, called Mention it to Morgs. Mention it to Morgs will be a question and answer section, where I will post the questions that I receive via email each week and answer them to my best ability!

In case you are wondering who you’re writing these questions to, my name is Morgan (but everyone calls me Morgs), and I am 21 years old. I am originally from a Chicago suburb, but I’m now a student at the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities majoring in Communication Studies with a minor in Design and a minor in Leadership! I am very creative and love to do arts & crafts and to bake. I am all about my friends and family! Most importantly for this column, I am super passionate about raising mental health awareness, so ask away!

I hope wherever you are, it’s not as rainy as it is here! Think sunny thoughts!

QUESTION:

Hi Morgs.. If I skip a meal or two a day (on purpose), do I have an eating disorder?

ANSWER:

Thanks for your question! This is a perfect question right now as we’re all gearing up towards summer. Many of us are probably panicking about our bodies. The first thing I need to say is that I’m not an expert, so I can’t diagnose you. I would really recommend seeing a doctor, but I can give you some more information on eating disorders and help you with some coping skills. One common misconception is that everyone with an eating disorder is extremely thin. Often times, this isn’t the case. This is normally what happens when an eating disorder goes untreated. Many times, someone with an eating disorder starts out slow – they will slowly cut things out or eat smaller or larger amounts of food. Someone with an eating disorder hates their body image and has an intense fear of gaining weight. Another common misconception is that only girls can have eating disorders. This is false, people of any gender, size, shape, age can develop an eating disorder. There are a few types of eating disorders.

Anorexia: People with anorexia see themselves as overweight, so this causes them to obsess over their food, weight, and caloric intake. Some people with anorexia may also excessively exercise or even misuse laxatives.

Bulimia: People with bulimia will over eat because they feel a lack of control. Soon after, they will force themselves to vomit, excessively exercise, excessively use laxatives, or even a combination. Often times people that suffer from bulimia are at a normal weight.

EDNOS – eating disorders not otherwise specified. These are eating disorders that don’t fall under the category of anorexia or bulimia. Binge eating is a type that falls under this category. Binge eating is when a person excessively eats because they have lost control.

My advice is to find one thing you like about yourself everyday. We are always picking at the negatives and the flaws in ourselves when we should be doing the exact opposite. You are beautiful and perfect in your own way, so tell yourself every single day something you love about yourself (even if you don’t think it’s true) because slowly you will start to truly believe it. If you think you are suffering from an eating disorder or are showing signs, please consult your doctor as soon as you can! Eating disorders in teens, or anyone for that matter, are very dangerous not just mentally but physically, as well.