Bulimia is an eating disorder that mostly affects young women of 12. Characteristics of bulimia include episodic binge eating followed by feelings of guilt and self-condemnation. Bulimia can actually damage a person's stomach and kidneys as a result of constant vomiting. Bulimia can also cause a person's teeth to decay because of the acids that come up into the mouth while vomiting. Teens suffering from bulimia often show signs of the eating disorder by eating a large amount of food in a small time frame and immediately purging themselves of the food ingested by causing themselves to vomit. Difference between Bulimia and Anorexia: Bulimia is a bit different from anorexia because the person with bulimia doesn't avoid eating. Instead, he or she eats a large amount of food then gets rid of it quickly by vomiting or taking laxatives. Like anorexia, bulimia tends to affect girls and young women more than guys. A teen that is bulimic can have some of the same symptoms as an anorexic, but she may not lose much weight and may actually appear healthy. Symptoms of Bulimia: Makes excuses to go to the bathroom immediately after meals Eats huge amounts of food, but doesn't gain weight Uses laxatives or diuretics Withdraws from social activities Prevention of Bulimia: There are the few steps that parents, teachers, coaches and others who work with teens can take to help avoid bulimia. Tips are: · Modifying and adapting expectations you have of your teen. · Examining your own perceptions and attitudes towards food, body image, physical appearance and exercise. · Do not give off the message that you cannot do activities such as dance, swim, or wear certain types of clothing because of the way you look or how much you weigh. · Encourage eating in response to physical hunger. · Encourage eating a variety of foods. · Help teens to appreciate their bodies and encourage them to engage in physical activity. · Do not use food as a reward or punishment. · Do not criticize your own weight or the way you look by avoiding the use of such phrases as "I'm too fat" or "I've got to lose weight." · Love, accept, and acknowledge the teen's value verbally. Treatment for teens suffering from bulimia has been advancing in recent years. There are the few web sites that are very useful for you: http://www.troubledteensguide.com http://www.troubled-teens.biz The sites help you to understand effective communication, and then show you how to overcome your specific problems and in the best possible way. It specifically designed to support the parents of Troubled Teens. The purpose of communication is to get your message across to others clearly. Their services are devoted to the parent who is overwhelmed and in need of immediate assistance (coaching) in order to locate the perfect troubled teen school or program for their child. Troubled teens guide is a listing of articles specifically designed to support the parents of Troubled Teens. It provides them proper guidance about teen’s problems and in the process save the parent time, energy, and thousands of dollars. About Author: Monica Craft For listings please visit http://www.troubledteensguide.com Troubled Teens Guide and you can also visit http://www.troubled-teens.biz/ for Teen Addiction .