Anorexics are always concerned with weight.  They exercise to excess, constantly weigh themselves and count calories in everything – even water.  Any celebration that revolves around food will alarm them and they will likely bow out.  No matter how thin they get, they always say they are fat.

Where a person with anorexia tends to be underweight, people who suffer from bulimia nervosa are normal to slightly overweight.  They also fear getting fat and strive to control their food to control their lives.  Bulimics have a dim view of their body shape and often have low self-esteem.

As a way of coping with their feelings, they eat uncontrollably away from prying eyes.  Guilty feelings cause them to purge after their binging.  They vomit or use laxatives to get rid of the food that they have eaten.  They also shy away from any gathering that involves food and exercise a lot in an attempt to lose weight.  You may see boxes of laxatives or enema bottles in the trash or in their room if your child is bulimic.

Eating disorders are becoming quite common among teenagers.  Unless treated, anorexia and bulimia can get out of control and cause serious, irreversible damage to the body.  If you notice any of the above activities going on with your child or a friend, get them to a doctor immediately.  Early intervention can stop a lifetime of health problems and keep the disorder from proving fatal.