While eating disorders can affect people in every social and economic class all over the country it is sadly the teens and adolescents that are especially susceptible to eating disorders in Los Angeles. If you think that your teen is struggling with an eating disorder it is essential to find help for them as soon as possible in order to get them on the road to recovery.
Types of Eating Disorders
There are many different eating disorders. People who have an eating disorder in Los Angeles have a warped view of food and use it as a punishment or reward instead of viewing it for the nutrition that it provides.
1. Anorexia Nervosa – Anorexia is an eating disorder where people do not eat enough food to survive. Many people who suffer with anorexia have a distorted view of themselves and think that they are fat even when they are not. They often think of food as evil and have a hard time making themselves eat anything because they are so afraid of gaining any weight. They may also use laxatives to rid themselves of body weight and may exercise compulsively.
2. Bulimia Nervosa – People that suffer with this disease go through phases of starving themselves, binging and then purging. During the starving period they may be eating barely enough to function or withholding food from themselves as a punishment. When the hunger gets to be too much they will then binge eat as much food as they can to fill the emptiness inside of them. This is then followed by feelings of shame and a purge wherein they throw up the food or do intense amounts of exercise to try to get it out of their systems. This period is often followed by the hunger phase and the cycle repeats itself over and over.
3. Binge Eating – Binge Eating has some similar connections to bulimia in that the people who suffer from both problems binge on unhealthy food. The difference with people who only binge eat is that they do not try to do something else to counter the binge such as purging or exercising. Due to feelings of shame and embarrassment people that binge eat will often eat alone or at night so that other people do not know how much food they are eating
Every eating disorder in Los Angeles stems from an unhealthy relationship with food, a fear of gaining weight or embarrassment over weight. All eating disorders are serious and require professional help.
