Adolescent behavioural eating disorders

Eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa, atypical anorexia, bulimia nervosa belong to the behavioural and psychiatric disorders especially common in adolescents during the puberty period. The girls aged 14-18 years old constitute the risk group for anorexia nervosa with the tendency to affect even the younger girls. Eating disorders are characterized by body dissatisfaction related to the overvaluation of the thin body ideal associated with dysfunctional patterns of cognition and weight control behaviours that results in significant medical, psychological and social complication. The important factor for initiating the onset of eating disorders is dysfunctional family background: controlling and with high expectations and demands mother and the certain personality traits of the adolescent such as low esteem, high ambition, perfectionism, perseverance, determination. The first symptoms of anorexia nervosa are often unnoticeable. They began with gradual elimination of the chosen food products e.g. sweets, bread, meat and introduction of "healthy" or "fit" eating patterns to the daily diet routine. During the initial phase of the disease the food restriction plays the corroborant role giving the anorectic patient the feeling of full control, satisfaction and even sense of the success. Patient with bulimia nervosa are often undiagnosed because there is no spectacular and evident reduction of the body mass. The half of the patients with anorexia demonstrate the suicidal thoughts and suicidal attempts. The majority of them shows the self-destructive behaviours. The treatment of eating disorders comprise the permanent and complex psychiatric therapy including the individual and family psychotherapy together with nutritional treatment. There is clear correlation between the duration of the disorder and the prognosis. The earlier diagnose is established, the better prognosis for the effective treatment is achieved.