Eating Disorders

“I always seen these beautiful girls who were skinny. I wanted to be pretty, too, I thought that in order for me to be pretty I had to be the same size as them.”


Bopha
The Power of Girls: Inside and Out

It’s not unusual for preadolescents and adolescents to criticize parts of their bodies. Forty-two percent of kids between first and third grade say they want to be thinner.1 Many young people take extreme measures to change their appearance.

In eighth grade, Cindy suddenly refused to eat and began to cut herself. “The more weight I lost,” Cindy says, “the fatter I felt.” At first, Cindy could hide her weight loss. But as soon as her parents recognized that Cindy was ill, they got her professional help.

Dr. Roberto Olivardia of Harvard Medical School says Cindy’s parents’ quick action may have saved years of turmoil, and possibly her life. “Early intervention is key,” he says. “The longer you have an eating disorder, such as anorexia or bulimia, the more difficult it is to recover.”

Dan was 16 when he started losing weight. His parents were shocked to learn he had anorexia. They say it would have been the first thing on their minds if their daughter had grown so thin. But an anorexic boy? In fact, boys struggle with their appearance far more than most people know. One million U.S. males live with anorexia.2

Remember: By age ten, 81 percent of girls report feeling afraid of being fat.3 More than half of all boys surveyed prefer looking good to excelling at sports.4

Read Issues and Answers at wordscanwork.com for more about this topic.

1. The National Eating Disorders Association
2. Crowther, et al., 1995
3. Mellin, et al., 1991
4. Pope, Phillips, Olivardia, The Adonis Complex, 2000

© 2006 Blake Works, Inc.

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