Unhealthy American Teens

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America is the leading countries in the world for unhealthy americans stated by (market watch). The top portion of unhealthy americans would be American teens. American teens often lack proper nutrition whether they consume too many calories or not enough. In doing so teens raise the health risk problems such as obesity, Iron-Deficiency Anemia, Anorexia. The first major leading problem in america would be obesity. According to a review published in a 2012 edition of the “International Journal of Preventive Medicine,” obese children and teens between ages 2 and 19 run the risk of developing high cholesterol, high blood pressure and have a higher risk for developing heart disease, diabetes, asthma, shortness of breath and sleep apnea. Most …show more content…

Anorexia and depression are often intertwined. In fact, these conditions occur together so frequently that clinical experts are still exploring the features that they have in common. Both are serious psychiatric disorders that can take a toll on your physical and emotional health. Both conditions reflect abnormalities in brain chemistry, and both seem to have genetic factors. The nutritional deficiencies caused by self-starvation may lead to a depressed emotional state, which increases the risk of social withdrawal, self-injury and suicide. If you’ve been diagnosed with anorexia and depression, you need a recovery program that can help you build a healthy body image while treating the causes of your depression.
According to the American Journal of Psychiatry, depression occurs in approximately half of women who meet the criteria for anorexia. The journal adds that the rate of depression is higher in close relatives of women with anorexia, indicating that both conditions may run in families. The National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI) state that anorexia and depression also share certain neurological factors:
● High levels of cortisol, a hormone that the body produces in stressful …show more content…

For many teens, anorexia is a way to exercise control over a life that’s become unmanageable. Ritualistic eating patterns and extreme weight loss become a way to reclaim a body that is changing too rapidly or to suppress overwhelming pain. Anorexia may also be a way for girls who feel depressed, suicidal and overlooked to cry out for help. Cutting, drug use and alcohol abuse are also common in girls and young women with eating disorders.
Some ways to help stop anorexia are:
● Nutritional therapy and dietary counseling at the individual, group and family levels
● Dialectical behavior therapy or cognitive therapy to change the attitudes and behaviors of the individual client
● Family counseling for parents, siblings and other household members
● Participation in support groups like Eating Disorders Anonymous or ANAD (Anorexia Nervosa And Associated Disorders)
● Adjunct therapies like hypnosis, massage or movement therapy
● Therapeutic creative activities like art, dance or music

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