Takeaway
You don't have to be an eating disorder specialist to make a difference; every healthcare professional can play a vital role in early intervention. Knowing local resources and showing compassion can guide patients toward recovery.
Lifelong Learning in Clinical Excellence | February 27, 2025 | 2 min read
By Jasmine Reese, MD, MPH, Johns Hopkins Medicine
“I don’t recognize my child anymore and I just want him back!” These were the words of a worried mother whose teenage son began struggling with an eating disorder at the age of 14. He grew up in a middle-class family with strong values and lots of love and encouragement. He was an above average student, involved in several activities at school, had close friends, and always seemed joyful and happy. Despite living what most of us would consider a “normal” childhood, he was still captured by the grappling take-hold of an eating disorder, specifically anorexia nervosa.
Several types of eating disorders exist including anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, and avoidant restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID). Although each has varying criteria that qualify for the diagnosis, some eating disorders do have common characteristics such as distorted body image and fear of weight gain leading to a malnourished body at risk for severe medical consequences.
Over 28 million people will have an eating disorder in their lifetime with one person dying from eating disorder complications almost every minute (nationaleatingdisorders.org). Although more prevalent in females than males, eating disorders don’t discriminate. They affect all genders, ethnicities, races, and socioeconomic backgrounds.
What causes eating disorders?
People often wonder why or how an eating disorder starts. The truth is often times there’s no known cause. An eating disorder is commonly associated with a need to control something in the individual’s life. This control then spirals into obsessive behaviors and thoughts about body image and so begins the negative relationship with food.
In recent years, social media is thought to play a major role in triggering eating disorder thoughts in young people as so many adolescents and young adults start to compare their body to influencers who may appear as “perfect.” Feelings of isolation, abandonment, being bullied by peers, family/social discord, are also common triggers that may further perpetuate the eating disorder.
Beating eating disorders
A common misconception by many is that only eating disorder experts can help individuals with eating disorders. However, any provider showing kindness, compassion, and some basic understanding of the medical consequences can go a long way in helping a person get the help and care they need to work toward recovery.
Clinicians can take the following steps to ensure their teens and young adults receive the care they need:
1. For young adult patients, in addition to reviewing basic vital signs such as heart rate and blood pressure, review their growth chart. Dramatic changes in weight (either up or down) can mean that the teen is experiencing an unhealthy relationship with food.
2. Ask curious questions. For example, explore a detailed diet recall, ask how often they’re eating meals each day, and about excessive exercise.
3. Implement a validated eating disorder screening tool into your practice to help identify eating disorders. Some to consider include EDE-Q, EAT-26, FAST.
4. Know your local resources. Keep a list of psychologists, therapists, and dietitians in your community who have experience in treating eating disorders.
Seek opportunities to learn more about eating disorders. Resources to consider include the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA), Alliance for Eating Disorders, and International Association of Eating Disorders Professionals (iaedp).
This piece expresses the views solely of the author. It does not represent the views of any organization, including Johns Hopkins Medicine.