The two most common types of eating disorders are anorexia and bulimia. These two disorders have similar characteristics so they can be hard to set apart from each other. A person will have a unclear image of his or her body with both and the person will appear to be fixated with what he or she eats.

Girls tend to be affected more than guys with both anorexia and bulimia. Guys are more likely to concentrate on athletic appearance with an eating disorder. People with anorexia have a strong concern of being overweight. The sufferer barely eats at all when she has anorexia and the little quantity of food that is eaten becomes a fixation. Weighing food before eating it or impulsively counting the calories of food is a symptom of anorexia. Exercising exceptionally in an effort to lose weight is also signs of someone having anorexia. A person with anorexia has a strong longing to be very thin they don't see themselves as thin even though they are losing weight dramatically. They actually see a fat person when they look in the mirror.

People with Bulimia don't avoid eating. They eat a big quantity of food then get rid of it fast by vomiting. This is normally known as "binge and purge" behavior. Bulimia often affect girls more than guys. Someone with bulimia may appear average in size, so it's difficult to detect if they have this disorder based on their appearance alone.

When a young lady goes through puberty, her body changes and it can make anyone feel a bit out of control. People with eating disorders feel as though they can recover a little bit of control by doing unhealthy things to their body. Some people react to this change by becoming very afraid of their new weight and feel forced to get rid of it any way they can. Young woman feel pressure to be like skinny role models and teen celebrities, it's not difficult to see why some teens develop a distorted body image.

Eating disorders might run in families. Our parents influence our beliefs, including those concerning food. There also is a suggestion that there may be a genetic part to having an eating disorders. An eating disorder does much more damage than good. People who weigh at least 15% less than the normal weight for their height may not have sufficient body fat to maintain healthy organs. A person with anorexia can do harm to the heart, liver and kidneys by not taking in enough food.

The emotional hurt of an eating disorder can take its toll, too. When a person becomes preoccupied with weight, it's hard to focus on anything else. A lot of times people with eating disorders become withdrawn. Try talking to a teacher, a neighbor, or another trusted adult if you need to someone to talk to about this. An eating disorder is common among teens and there is treatment for you.

Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Eating Disorders