Many teens are pressured in believing that their bodies are not perfect. Movies, peers, magazines, and the media help contribute to this belief among teens. As children reach their adolescent stage they might consider eating disorders, because they might not feel good about who they are and what they look like. Eating disorders should not be considered, because of the emotional and physical effects.

There are many types of eating disorders. They are anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating. Anorexia is the pursuit of being thin and the unwillingness to have a healthy body weight. Bulimia is eating large amounts of food followed by extreme exercising or fasting. Binge eating is similar to bulimia, but fasting and exercising does not follow after food intake. Also, binge eating is different from anorexia and bulimia because the person usually becomes overweight with no hope of never using the weight. Each one of these eating disorders is harmful to a person’s body.

Emotional and physical effects of eating disorders also harm the body. Emotional effects can be depression, anxiety, or guilt. There are many physical effects that can occur. The physical effects are heart and kidney failure, low blood pressure, dry and yellow skin, cardiovascular and neurological complications, thinning of the bones, hair loss, and mild anemia. The body and brain are still developing as adolescences grow; however, eating disorders stop growth and cause many health risks.

One in ten teens will suffer from eating disorders, but one in four will be at a higher risk for developing an eating disorder. Today’s society has the wrong idea that being thin is always pretty. This idea coming from peers and the media are helping contribute to eating disorders. The physical and emotional effects may even lead to death. The consequences of eating disorders are not worth dying over.