Some teens are lucky to be on their ideal size; no matter how much calorie they put in everyday they simply have fast metabolism. But some teens don’t feel as lucky because of the extra pounds that are clinging in different areas of their bodies. And well, not most of these teens can handle the pressure of trying to lose weight and pressure of feeling jealousy towards other people. Thus, resulting to trying out different types of dieting programs and whether or not it would work, some of them start having different kinds of eating disorders.

Bulimia is an eating disorder that involves binge eating then vomiting afterwards. This process is called purging. Most teens who are bulimic tend to keep their condition a secret which is the reason why it is a disorder that is very hard to get rid off. Bulimia is a psychological disorder that will soon involve most other parts of the body if not given attention to.

Bulimics have a lot of attempts to stop their habit but they are weighing down two fears: fear of the bad effect of purging to their bodies vs. fear of gaining weight. Unfortunately for bulimics that latter wins the battle more often. What’s so hard about having bulimia is that it develops into an unconscious choice, no matter how much you fight it, you become unconscious that you keep on repeatedly doing it. The best chance you have is to open up and tell someone about your problem preferably a medical professional.

from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

Statistics on eating disorders and teen body image:

• 42% of 1st-3rd grade girls want to be thinner (Collins, 1991).
• 81% of 10 year olds are afraid of being fat (Mellin et al., 1991).
• The average American woman is 5’4″ tall and weighs 140 pounds. The average American model is 5’11″ tall and weighs 117 pounds.
• Most fashion models are thinner than 98% of American women (Smolak, 1996).
• 51% of 9 and 10 year-old girls feel better about themselves if they are on a diet (Mellin et al., 1991).
• 46% of 9-11 year-olds are “sometimes” or “very often” on diets, and
• 82% of their families are “sometimes” or “very often” on diets (Gustafson-Larson & Terry, 1992).
• 91% of women recently surveyed on a college campus had attempted to control their weight through dieting, 22% dieted “often” or “always” (Kurth et al., 1995).
• 95% of all dieters will regain their lost weight in 1-5 years (Grodstein, 1996).
• 35% of “normal dieters” progress to pathological dieting. Of those, 20-25% progress to partial or full-syndrome eating disorders (Shisslak & Crago, 1995).
• 25% of American men and 45% of American women are on a diet on any given day (Smolak, 1996).
• Americans spend over $40 billion on dieting and diet-related products each year (Smolak, 1996).

Finally, an organization that helps those have an eating disorder!

The National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) is the largest nonprofit organization in the United States working to eliminate eating disorders. They serve the needs of communities throughout the US by providing programs, products and services of superior quality that work to prevent, treat and find a cure for eating disorders.

NEDA is dedicated to expanding public understanding of eating disorders and promoting access to quality treatment for those affected along with support for their families through education, advocacy and research.

The National Eating Disorders Association was formed in 2001, when Eating Disorders Awareness & Prevention (EDAP) joined forces with the American Anorexia Bulimia Association (AABA), merging the largest and oldest eating disorders prevention and advocacy organizations in the world. The merger was the most recent in a series of alliances that has also included the National Eating Disorder Organization (NEDO) and Anorexia Nervosa & Related Disorders (ANRED).

Headquartered in Seattle, Washington with an office in New York City, the organization is staffed by 10 full-time employees and many dedicated volunteers.

Visit their official website here.