Teens are exposed to a variety of influences outside their immediate family, from their friends to content creators, celebrities, school groups, and extracurricular organizations. While trying to find yourself is a hallmark of adolescence, some teens may also experience anxiety around food and self-image. Therefore, it’s critical for parents to recognize the signs of disordered eating to provide the appropriate intervention and support.
What You’ll Learn
- What is disordered eating
- What’s the difference between disordered eating and eating disorders?
- What are the different types of eating disorders?
- How do you help a teen with disordered eating patterns?
Quick Read
Disordered eating in teens is influenced by various external factors, including peer pressure and social media. While not all teens with disordered eating patterns meet the criteria for a clinical eating disorder, early intervention is crucial to prevent further complications. Signs include anxiety around food, meal skipping, and rigid eating rules. Addressing the root causes, such as anxiety or trauma, is essential for effective treatment.
There are several types of eating disorders, including anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder. Each has distinct symptoms and impacts on health. Early intervention and professional help can lead to recovery and improved self-acceptance. Parents are encouraged to stay engaged and supportive to help their teens navigate these challenges and develop healthier coping mechanisms.
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What Is Disordered Eating?
Disordered eating can be characterized by certain habits that tend to be compulsive or controlling and relate to the manipulation of nutrition. Adolescents who have disordered eating practices may not meet the full criteria for a clinically diagnosed eating disorder, but without intervention, an eating disorder may potentially develop.
Signs of disordered eating habits in teens include:
- Anxiety around food
- Skipping meals
- Inability to adequately nourish themselves
- Eating large quantities of food in a short period of time
- Avoiding social situations that involve food
- Having to “compensate” for eating with exercise or laxatives
- Obsession with calories and/or weight gain
- Having rigid rules around food consumption
- Only eating a very narrow range of foods
- Guilt associated with food consumption
- Feeling a loss of control related to food
Disordered eating behaviors can cause stomach and digestive problems, chronic fluctuations in weight, aches and pains, weakness, hair loss, and other issues associated with malnutrition.
Causes of Disordered Eating
Causes of disordered eating in teens may vary, but genetics, personality, environment, influences, and family history can all play a role in their development.
Self-image and social pressure can also be key contributors to disordered eating. Many teens feel the need to conform to a certain body type, whether to feel attractive, to look like their peers or role models, or to engage in sports that have weight and size parameters, from boxing to dance.
When you’re trying to help a teen with disordered eating patterns, getting to the root cause of the issue is important for sustainable healing. Conditions such as anxiety, depression, OCD, or trauma may need to be treated in order for disordered eating habits to fully cease. This is why it’s always wise to seek the advice of treatment professionals.
Disordered Eating Patterns vs. Eating Disorders
For some teens, eating disorders may develop rapidly. Here are some signs and symptoms of eating disorders in teens:
- Obsessive exercise and/or use of laxatives and diet pills
- Extended bathroom use after meals
- Fatigue, electrolyte imbalances, high cold sensitivity, weakness
- Bruises easily or gets injured often
- Hair loss
- Cardiovascular issues
- Obsession with self-image
- Low self-esteem and/or distorted self-perception
- Extreme mood swings
- Panic attacks, anxiety, episodes of depression, compulsive behaviors
- Constipation and vomiting
- Rashes or dry skin
- Muscle wasting or thinness
- Frequent distress or anxiety about food
- Body dissatisfaction
Eating disorders can be very serious, but with treatment, many teens can recover and live healthy lives. Disordering eating is not exceedingly rare: One in five children globally (22 percent) show signs of disordered eating, according to JAMA Pediatrics. Additionally, Deloitte Access Economics says it’s been estimated that up to 28 million Americans will have an eating disorder in their lifetime. What matters is staying engaged with and supportive to your teen so that recovery remains possible.
Types of Eating Disorders
According to StatPearls, these some of the types of feeding and eating disorders listed in the DSM-5, including:
Anorexia Nervosa
The most well-known eating disorder, anorexia affects 0.3 percent of teen girls. It includes an intense fear of gaining weight, resulting in a condition of being extremely underweight while having a distorted body image (denial of being underweight). Anorexia has a strong genetic component but is also influenced by trauma, personality, environment, family history, and other factors.
Bulimia Nervosa
Bulimia involves binge eating and then purging, typically through the use of laxatives, self-induced vomiting, diet pills, or excessive exercise. It involves fear of weight gain and it affects one percent of teen girls.
Binge Eating Disorder (BED)
Binge eating disorder is the most common eating disorder, and one third of those who struggle with this condition are male. People with BED experience a loss of control during binge eating (and guilt over their behavior). Unlike bulimia, this disorder does not require participation in compensatory practices.
Avoidant or Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID)
Individuals with ARFID may exhibit a disinterest in food, heightened sensitivity to sensory experiences such as taste, texture, and smell, or a fear of negative outcomes, such as choking or vomiting. Though ARFID most commonly develops during infancy or early childhood, it can develop at any age.
Pica
Pica is a condition that involves cravings for non-food items, such as chalk, soap, or paper. Pica can indicate a nutritional deficit, such iron or zinc.
Rumination
Ruminationinvolves the regular regurgitation of food that occurs for at least one month. Regurgitated food may be re-chewed, re-swallowed, or spit out.
Other Specified Eating and Feeding Disorders
This includes conditions such as purging disorder, night eating syndrome, atypical anorexia nervosa, subthreshold bulimia and binge eating disorder, and orthorexia.
When to Seek Help and Early Intervention
How do you help a teen with disordered eating habits? Early intervention is essential for long-term, sustained wellness. Disordered eating can be a sign of developmental issues or a coping mechanism for psychological distress.
Additionally, treatment professionals can identify whether mental health issues are brewing under the surface. Teens can learn new coping skills for handling life’s challenges, manage symptoms, and find the path to self-acceptance and healing.
Treatment Options for Adolescents
If your teen is exhibiting signs of disordered eating behaviors or struggling with an eating disorder, get in touch with us today. At Newport Academy, we understand the needs of teens and focus on addressing the root causes of the conditions they face. Using evidence-based treatments, our compassionate team can steward your child on the path to healing, helping them build new skills and discover their authentic self. Contact us today to learn more.
Sources:
- JAMA Pediatrics. Published Online: February 20, 2023. 2023;177;(4):363-372.
- Deloitte Access Economics, June 2020
- StatPearls Publishing; Jan 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Signs of disordered eating include anxiety around food, skipping meals or eating large amounts in one sitting, g), avoiding social situations that involve food, having to “compensate” for eating with exercise or laxatives, an obsession with calories and/or weight gain, and having rigid rules around food consumption.
The three most common types of eating disorders include anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorder. Other types of eating disorders include avoidant or restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID), pica, rumination, and other specified eating or feeding disorders (OSEFD).
Disordered eating does not meet the full criteria for a diagnosable eating disorder, but without intervention, it may develop into an eating disorder.
Yes. With treatment and support, you can recover from all eating disorders, including anorexia.
To be diagnosed with an eating disorder, your disordered eating practices would have to meet the criteria for an eating disorder as defined in the DSM-5.
When disordered eating practices reach a level of severity and frequency that meets the criteria defined in the DSM-5 for an eating disorder, they translate into a diagnoseable condition.
They are not. Disordered eating is milder and less frequent than the practices that define an eating disorder, as outlined in the DSM-5.
