Eating Disorders Types and Symptoms in Teenagers in Pakistan

Teenagers are prone to a variety of mental health issues across the globe. The same applies to them in Pakistan. Individuals in their teens go through a roller coaster of emotions, making them vulnerable to psychological problems. A lot of times, their psychological issues grow into a form of eating disorder. These teens are not able to eat like regular people, which intensifies with time if not treated properly. 

In this article, we shall talk about some major eating disorders that teenagers in Pakistan go through and what kind of symptoms they experience on a regular basis. 

Understanding Eating Disorders

Eating disorders are psychological problem that makes the individual develop abnormal eating habits. These eating habits are so intense that they impact the person’s ability to think normally and lead a regular, everyday life. 

When a person suffers from an eating disorder, they end up either eating a lot, eating less than normal, or even obsessing over healthy food consumption.

Some major forms of eating disorders are:

•  Anorexia Nervosa

This is a condition where a person has restrictive eating. He is not able to eat even the normal amount of food required for a person to live a healthy life. His fear of gaining excessive weight and the results of weight gain restrict him from eating. 

This is more common in women than in men. As a matter of fact, girls who have reached the age of puberty and have been introduced to the societal beauty standards are more prone to getting this eating disorder than others—their quest to stay thin leads to their inability to have a proper meal.

Teens who develop body image issues are the ones who end up getting Anorexia Nervosa. They firmly believe in the distorted perceptions of the ‘perfect’ body shape. 

In this age of social media, where the idea of a ‘perfect life’ seems to attract teenagers, the need for an ideal body shape affects their psychology. They are so engrossed with the perfect image showcased on social media that they forget the human aspect associated with it. 

• Bulimia Nervosa

Bulimia Nervosa is the opposite of Anorexia Nervosa. In this eating disorder, the individual tends to eat more than normal. He indulges in excessive eating, which can impact his health severely. Binge eating and stress eating are common in teens. Whenever there is a stressful episode in life, they end up dealing with it by eating a lot.

A negative past experience or an unhealed trauma is often behind this eating disorder. As the teens are not able to deal with a past traumatic episode, they end up indulging in unhealthy ways of eating as a coping mechanism. 

• Orthorexia

This is the advanced version of Anorexia Nervosa. The sufferer tends to develop an unhealthy obsession with only consuming the things he considers ‘healthy’. Anything that appears slightly unhealthy is off the charts.

The idea of eating healthy is good. However, the obsession where a person over-thinks about the possible outcomes of eating something and avoiding it by finding faults in it is not normal. Eventually, such teens end up consuming a restrictive set of food items that don’t offer them any nutritional benefits. 

This often leads to malnutrition. When the body is not given the required nutrients, it tends to get affected negatively, showcasing early signs of kidney, liver, and heart disease

• Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder

Also known as ARFID, the Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder is a psychological issue in which teens decide whether to eat a particular food item or not simply by using their senses. If these food items don’t appear attractive in appearance or don’t have a good smell, they tend to avoid them completely. As expected, this leads to extensive nutritional deficiencies in them, causing a lot of health issues. 

• Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Obsessive-compulsive disorder, also known as OCD, is also connected with the eating disorders. People with OCS may obsess over counting how many bites they are taking in a meal. They may be fixated on a specific weight number, not wanting to go beyond it. Body measurements and strict calorie count are also associated with OCD connected with eating disorders. 

Most of the time, these two psychological disorders co-occur. Psychologists are able to connect these two mental health disorders and chalk out a treatment plan to manage them both.

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Symptoms and Causes

Eating disorders become apparent through various symptoms. However, their causes are not really known. Researchers believe that these disorders are a result of the culmination of various factors that may include environmental elements, genetics, the psychological state of a person and even their biology. 

As far as it’s about the symptoms of these disorders are concerned, they may include:

1. Societal pressure to be the best physical version of themselves
2. Low-self esteem
3. A drive for perfectionism.
4. Social Media-driven obsession with a thin body
5. Meal skipping on a regular basis 
6. Mood swings
7. Clinical depression
8. Anxiety
   
   Also Read :Eating Disorders Symptoms, Causes and Treatment
   

Final Thoughts

Eating Disorders are a serious matter. They should be given importance, and steps must be taken to treat them on time. Psychologists really help patients with eating disorders, aiding them with cognitive behavioural therapy, antidepressants and even nutritional support. If you are going through eating disorders that you can’t discuss with anyone or know someone with such problems, it’s high time you connected with SehatYab and get your treatment plan.