• Alyssa Fontaine, RD
• Sep 01, 2025

Eating Disorders in Adolescence

There’s a good chance you probably already heard of the term eating disorder. It’s often used casually in the media, shown with overgeneralized traits. However, do we understand what it truly means? Eating disorders are complex and serious conditions. They aren’t obvious to spot despite popular belief. Let’s take a deeper and clearer look at what eating disorders are.

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What is an Eating Disorder?

An eating disorder (ED) is a psychological condition that affects eating habits, and/or body image. It interferes with their daily function and can have serious effects on both mental and physical well-being. Eating disorders can affect all ages and genders. Keep in mind, all body sizes can suffer from an ED. In this article, let’s discuss the most common ones.

Anorexia nervosa

The typical framework for this type is marked by an intense fear of gaining weight and a belief that thinness equals perfection. Individuals who suffer from anorexia may skip meals, eat very little, purge their meals and/or exercise intensely. Purging in this context means to get rid of calories by vomiting, the use of laxatives, or exercising for hours.

Bulimia Nervosa

Bulimia nervosa involves a cycle of binge eating (eating large amounts of food in a short period), followed by purging. These episodes are usually done in secret, accompanied by feelings of guilt, shame, and helplessness.

Binge Eating Disorder

Like the name describes, binge eating happens by frequent episodes where a large portion of food is eaten in one sitting, until discomfort. Unlike bulimia, there isn’t purging. These individuals may have a history of dieting and may use food as a coping mechanism for emotional distress.

Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID)

ARFID is based on the intense avoidance of certain foods or severely restricting intake, but not due to body image or weight. Instead, the reasons can be for sensory traits (e.g., texture, taste, smell, colour, temperature) or fear of stomach pain, choking, and/or vomiting.

Curious about eating disorders for plant-based eaters? Click here.

Teens and Risk factors

While anyone can develop an eating disorder, many behaviors and habits can start forming in their early teen years. Youth are particularly vulnerable because they are constantly exposed to messages about eating and body image from society.  However, mental health is a huge factor. Here is a list that can increase risk for ED.

·        Anxiety

·        Depression

·        Low self-esteem

·        Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)

·        Family history of ED

·        Trauma

Complications

Eating disorders can have serious consequences and can sometimes be deadly. Physically, they may lead to problems with growth, hormonal changes, weakness, irregular heart beats, and more. On the mental health side, there’s social isolation, depression, and even suicide ideation.

If you want to help lower the risk of ED in your household, click here for more information.

How to Help Your Teen

If you suspect your teen has an ED, here’s what you can do. Start by talking to them and encourage them to consult a medical professional, such as a doctor and a dietitian. A multidisciplinary team can be involved in these cases including a psychiatrist, dietitian, family doctor and social worker.

The sooner the intervention happens, the fewer complications. Keep in mind, this is a delicate situation and it is important to have compassion and to be non-judgmental. Having an eating disorder is not a choice. Remember that you play a key role in your child’s recovery, so your involvement and support matters.

For pediatric nutrition support, including for Eating disorders, our specialized dietitians can help. Click here to learn more about us and book an appointment.

Additional Resources

For additional information please consult Canada.ca for Canadian resources, groups and services available near you.

For Americans, please visit Medlineplus.gov for additional resources as well.