There are people who avoid mirrors because they despise the image it reflects back to them. Social media screams that happiness is only guaranteed to people of a certain weight. In turn, skipping meals and excessive exercise become normal. Obsession with weight and body image has become a major issue among teenagers, regardless of their body type.
According to the National Organization for Women, over 50% of teenagers feel self-conscious about their bodies. As a result, many resort to focusing on their eating practices and overexercising.
Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor Tasha Boyer said the three most common eating disorders are anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge-eating disorder.
According to Eating Disorder Hope, approximately 1% of teenagers were diagnosed with anorexia nervosa compared to 60% of teenagers who exhibited symptoms of the disease, although anorexia’s presence in adolescents continues to increase each year.
The National Institute of Health reports up to 5% of teenagers have bulimia nervosa, but due to the hidden nature of the disease, that number may not capture all those affected.
While 4% of teenagers are diagnosed with binge eating, according to Metropolitan Pediatrics, one in five teenagers demonstrate behaviors of binge eating.
Boyer said a crucial factor in the diagnosis of an eating disorder is how much disruption it causes.
“It crosses from disordered eating to an eating disorder when we see that the disorder interferes with their life,” she explained. “Clinically, an eating disorder is someone who has an issue with both eating food and how they perceive their body.”
Student Joan Gallagher* said her eating disorder stemmed from being part of a gymnastics team where her body was constantly on display. The pressure to both be extremely slim and perform well ultimately led her to withdraw from gymnastics, she explained.
“My complicated relationship with my health and food became all-consuming when I stepped away from gymnastics and felt the need to still maintain my body,” Gallagher explained.
Boyer said the main victims of eating disorders are teenagers, who, due to their use of social media, have unattainable expectations regarding appearance.
“Social media is in your faces all the time,” she said. “You don’t get a second to yourselves to ever be less than perfect.”
Boyer explained when adolescents begin puberty, their bodies require more food to grow and mature into an adult. If they listen to unhealthy advice from social media, they may ignore what their bodies need when it’s most important, she added.
Gallagher said during the pandemic, she partook in the “75 Hard” challenge, in which participants were encouraged to complete two 45 minute workouts daily and follow a strict diet for 75 days. Gallagher and other kids her age watched YouTube workout videos by fitness influencer Chloe Ting, which contributed to her disordered eating, she added.
“I was striving for a body that wasn’t attainable for anybody, let alone for a growing child,” Gallagher said.
Boyer said major physical consequences follow disordered eating that many do not realize occur. People with anorexia nervosa will often experience hair loss, bone loss, brittle nails and muscle loss, she said.
“People become excited about their sudden weight loss but don’t realize that they just lost a bunch of heart muscle because the body cannibalizes itself in order to keep the person going,” Boyer explained.
Gallagher said because of her rapid weight loss, she was no longer able to exert the same amount of energy for activities she cared about.
“I would cry and throw fits solely because my blood pressure was so low due to the fact that I was not nourishing my body the way I was supposed to,” she said.
Boyer explained patients suffering from bulimia nervosa can experience damage to their digestive system and teeth, as well as burns in their esophagus. Those struggling with binge eating often eat foods that lack vitamins and minerals, leading them to develop heart and kidney diseases as well as high blood pressure, she added.
Boyer explained eating disorders can arise from various factors. Frequently, she said, there is a genetic trait present. Boyer said if someone’s parents experienced an eating disorder, they are more likely to develop one as well.
She added triggering events are another common start to an eating disorder since they cause the brain to think differently, which the body then responds to.
“Rarely does anyone start one morning and go ‘I’m going to develop an eating disorder,’ but they try to make themselves better and overcompensate,” Boyer explained.
“It changes how the brain processes information because a lack of food will do that to a person.”
Student Amy Connors* said her eating disorder began in eighth grade when she decided to step on a scale for the first time.
“I had no intent on weighing myself before that moment, but I noticed the number on the scale was lower than I expected,” she explained. “I decided I wanted to try and lose more weight. From then on, I pretty much stopped eating completely.”
Boyer explained that once someone begins acting and thinking differently around food, their brain has rewired itself into believing they are not enough.
“When the food changes, the brain has already changed,” she said.
Connors said she went on runs every single day, sometimes running twice a day. She added she ate one meal a day and continued to weigh herself weekly.
“It was almost like a rush every time I stepped on the scale,” Connors explained. “Seeing the number go down was like a reward system for me. It was feeding me and my brain so much dopamine.”
Connors said in order to continue this unhealthy lifestyle, she had to tell herself her actions didn’t qualify as an eating disorder because she hadn’t lost a certain amount of weight or because she didn’t look a certain way.
Boyer explained someone with an eating disorder will endlessly think about food and whether or not they are allowed to eat it. An “eating disorder voice,” she explained, is created in a person’s head and constantly criticizes and dictates what they are allowed to eat.
“It’s kind of like an alter ego that develops in the brain,” Boyer added. “It sounds so much like the person’s own train of thought that they believe that it is themselves.”
Connors said she didn’t realize her actions were visible to others until she had a conversation with her mother.
“My mom finally sat me down and told me she thought I had an eating disorder,” she said. “I felt really sad because I didn’t want it to affect my family and for them to see that part of me.”
Connors said she still struggles with eating and body image years after dealing with her illness. She added she recently stopped weighing herself, which has helped her mental health.
“It’s an ongoing struggle, even three years after my eating disorder,” Connors said. “I still have issues with numbers and counting calories.”
Connors said anyone struggling with an eating disorder should know that there are resources available, and they have a fulfilling life ahead of them.
“No matter how isolated you may feel, understand that you are not struggling alone,” she explained. “Life is so much bigger than a number on a scale.”
If you are struggling with an eating disorder and require help, call the Nationwide Children’s Behavioral Health Crisis Line at (614)-722-1800 if you are 17 or under. If you are 18 or older, call Netcare Emergency Response Services at (614)-276-2273.
Published and digitized March 2026.
