Parents’ Guide: The Warning Signs of Eating Disorders in Teens

by Tala Mustafa - Clinical Dietitian and Eating Disorders Specialist at Aman Lil Afia Clinic ????? ???? ???????

Key signs to look out for:

Changes in Eating Habits:

• Noticeable skipping of meals, including family mealtimes, or excessive eating consistently or intermittently.
• To start following strict changes, and claiming them as healthier, with the intention of weight loss. Like transitioning to a vegetarian diet.
• The obsession with dieting, extreme food restrictions, significant exclusion of types of food or food groups.
• Excessive examination and analysis of ingredients labels and food contents.
• Starting a precise calorie counting.
• Taking a very long time to eat meals and eating smaller portions.
• Avoiding eating with family or friends and avoiding social gatherings
• Hiding food.
• Multiple trips to the bathroom after meals.

Body Image Fixation:

• Weighing oneself multiple times a day.
• Frequent negative comments about their body, or excessive checking in mirrors.
• Wearing multiple layers of clothing or wearing oversized clothes.

Emotional Changes:

• Increased irritability.
• Isolation and loneliness.
• Heightened anxiety, particularly around meals.
• Difficulty concentrating.

Physical Changes:

• Significant and rapid weight loss specially in teens who should be growing.
• Unexplained gain or fluctuations that seem unhealthy or extreme.
• Weakness, dizziness, and fatigue.
• Disruption in menstrual cycles.
• Feeling cold or having cold hands and feet all the time.
• Sleep disturbances.
• Digestive problems like bloating and constipation.

Exercise Obsession:

• Excessive exercising, especially after eating or expressing guilt over not working out.