In a recent survey, the teenagers in America were asked what they feared the most. The results were indeed quite shocking. Fear of gaining weight topped the
list, beating other fears like cancer, the fear of losing parents or even death. This just goes to show the kind of obsession that today's youth has with weight issues. It
is no longer limited to just looking thin but having an altered body perception that goes with it. Experts estimate that 10% of American teenagers have some form of
eating disorder or the other.
Why are teenagers being increasingly entrapped in this disorder? Psychologists believe that the attainment of adolescence is
accompanied by physical and mental transformation, which creates a general feeling of anxiety. As a result, some of the teenagers attempt to regain control over
themselves by trying to be in charge of their body. However, this desire to be in command of the body and the way it looks gets way out of control. It develops into an
insane obsession which has got nothing to do with health or related issues.
Another recent trend which is developing at an alarming rate amongst teenagers
is self-inflicted injury. Most of the self-injurers suffer from eating disorders. Being depressed and unable to voice their concern, they try to hurt themselves physically,
hoping that it would be the means to vent their bottled up anguish. It gives them a sense of relief. However, it is not long before it becomes an addiction, which has
acute negative repercussions for the self-injurer.
There are many pro-anorexia websites on the internet, which define anorexia not as a disorder but as a "way
of life". Teenagers, especially girls, who try to get some kind of legitimization for the way they are behaving, frequently visit such sites. This is a grave situation which
needs to be looked into urgently.
