Many girls are self-bullies in terms of body image

By Staff Writer

Severe eating disorders, such as anorexia and bulimia, have become more common among children of all ages in the U.S. These alarming trends recently prompted the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) to recommend that all adolescents and pre-teens be screened for these disorders during their regular check-ups with a doctor.

According to HealthNews, the number of children younger than 12 years old who were hospitalized for eating disorders jumped by 119 percent between 1999 and 2006. Although eating disorders typically start with preoccupations about food and weight, they generally stem from emotional or psychological problems, such as low self-esteem, depression or anxiety.

The news provider reports that individuals with anorexia have a distorted body image that causes them to view themselves as overweight, even when they are noticeably too thin. People with anorexia may sometimes refuse to eat for consecutive days, exercise compulsively and develop uncommon habits, such as a phobia of eating in front of others.

Side effects of anorexia include heart damage, low blood pressure, loss of muscle mass, hair loss, sensitivity to the cold and body hair growth. People who adopt extreme anorexic behaviors can create long-term physical problems and also run the risk of starving themselves to death.

Adolescents with bulimia typically eat to excess - or binge - then forcefully remove the food - or purge - through vomiting, laxatives, exercising or diuretics. Most bulimic individuals perform these behaviors in secrecy due to shame, yet they become addicted to these acts because they relieve tension and negative emotions when their stomachs are empty.

Bulimic individuals are at risk of developing damage to the heart, kidneys, reproductive system, intestinal tract, esophagus, teeth and mouth.

HopeNetwork.info states that eating disorders commonly cause extreme emotions, attitudes and behaviors. They can have serious consequences not just on one's physical and mental state, but they can also destroy relationships with family and friends.

The AAP suggests that doctors, when evaluating adolescent and pre-teen patients, should carefully track a patient's weight, height, body mass index and menstrual cycles in girls, according to HealthNews. Doctors may also learn about potential eating disorders by asking children questions about their diet, eating patterns and body image.

While eating disorders among males have become more common, the majority of cases are seen in girls. According to MSNBC, a 2009 poll reveals that 95 percent of females in between the ages of 16 and 21 want to change their bodies in some way. Alarmed by this trend, adolescent development specialist Robyn Silverman wrote the book Good Girls Don't Get Fat: How Weight Obsession is Screwing up Our Girls and What We Can Do to Help Them Thrive Despite It.

In her research, Silverman found that many young girls develop a behavior she calls "the body bully within." According to an excerpt provided by the media outlet, she said that girls are informally trained to be critical of themselves in order to fit in with their classmates. Many girls believe that by complaining about how they look, they are being more sensitive to their peers. In other words, some females are afraid that self-confidence will alienate themselves from less-confident girls.

Silverman said that the problem is that many girls start to believe their own criticism. Their unrealistic expectations of what they should look like can lead to low self-esteem, depression or eating disorders.

Aside from written materials such as medical research and books, concerned citizens throughout the U.S. are taking action to combat teen eating disorders. For example, an advocacy group called Girls on the Run has formed in Nashville, the Tennessean reports. The volunteer-run program teaches young girls about fitness and healthy lifestyles, as well as holds discussion sessions about self-esteem, body image and other issues that girls battle during adolescence.