Eating disorders can be hard to recognize. Parents may keep an eye out for teenage girls who barely eat and look painfully thin, signs of anorexia nervosa, but a growing number of boys are getting diagnosed — and eating disorders can hide in plain sight. In atypical anorexia, for example, teens who are heavier can lose so much weight so quickly that they may not look sick, but they can have the same irregular heart rate and other symptoms that make typical anorexia so dangerous.

This is National Eating Disorders Awareness Week, and we are sharing resources on how to spot eating disorders in children and teens — because parents can have a hard time realizing something is wrong. Kids with bulimia nervosa or binge eating disorder, for example, often hide behaviors like bingeing and purging and eat regular amounts at mealtime. ARFID is an eating disorder that is confusing because the reasons a teenager might avoid eating don’t have to do with weight. Also, the signs are different in boys, who are often more interested in developing a muscular physique than losing weight. But the best treatments are effective for all young people.

— Michelle Shih, Managing Editor | ✉