Could Your Teen Have Bulimia?

The eating disorder bulimia is dangerous to overall health, and especially harmful to the teeth.¹ While both girls and boys can suffer from this condition, it’s much more common in girls.² How can a parent tell the difference between typical adolescent concern about looks and the fixation with weight that marks bulimia?

Teens with bulimia generally go on eating splurges, called binges, then try to avoid gaining weight by purging with laxatives or throwing up.³ They also may exercise obsessively.² Other warning signs could include:

• Rough skin on the fingers or knuckles from inducing vomiting⁴

• Swollen cheeks or jawline⁴

• Teeth that look clear or are worn from stomach acid¹

• Irregular menstrual periods in girls⁵

• Using diuretics, or water pills⁵

• An unusual preoccupation with calorie counting⁵

• Intense fear of gaining weight⁶

• Frequent use of the bathroom after meals⁴

¹ “Eating Disorders.” American Dental Association. www.ada.org/public/topics/eating_disorders.asp. Accessed 2008.

² “Bulimia.” U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, September 2, 2008.www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000341.htm. Accessed 2008.

³ “Eating Disorders.” U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, September 2, 2008. www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/eatingdisorders.html. Accessed 2008.

⁴ “Bulimia Nervosa.” National Women’sHealth Information Office on Women’s Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, January 2007. www.womenshealth.gov/faq/Easyread/bulnervosa-etr.htm#d. Accessed 2008.

⁵ “Eating Disorders: Facts for Teens.”American Academy of Family Physicians, November 2006. www.familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/children/teens/eating/277.html. Accessed 2008.

⁶ “Bulimia Nervosa.” National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, June 26, 2008. www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/eating-disorders/bulimia-nervosa.shtml. Accessed 2008.

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