As if you didn't have enough to worry about, a recent study just found that gay, lesbian and bisexual teens may be at higher risk of developing eating disorders than are straight teens.
The study was done by Harvard researchers who, "reported heightened rates of binge-eating among both males and females who identified themselves as gay, lesbian, bisexual or mostly heterosexual."
So why might this be the case? There are a few reasons. GLBT teens who feel insecure or isolated may react be developing an eating disorder, as might those who have body image issues. Teens who are bullied or harassed for their sexual orientation may feel like they need to control some aspect of their life and this might be the only area where they feel they can do that.
As 15-year-old Colby explains,
"I came out to my family this summer, and, well... although all is well now, I think I'm not completely over the whole incident. Last school year, I was a happy, healthy honor student. This year, I'm not so happy, I'm not so healthy, and I'm very close to not being an honor student--which would kill me.
Also, I've become anorexic. I go weeks at a time without eating, because I feel that I'm fat and undesirable. I blame the area that I live in as the main excuse for me still being single to everyone I talk to, but being fat is what I think it is. People say "Oh, you're not fat at all..." and I'm all, "You're a liar." I mean, I'm not like King Kong, but I have a gut, and I hate that. I'm actually only 6 percent body fat, however, I don't like my gut."
"For the last five years I have had on and off eating problems. I was always the weird kid with no friends, and because I was gay, I never had anyone. I figured that if i was thinner, or taller, or had better hair that i would be less lonely because people would like me more.
The worst point was just recently, about a month or so ago, I actually forced myself to throw up a meal I had just eaten because I felt fat. I mean, I know I'm not. Everyone said I was skin and bones, but I felt so wrong whenever I ate.
Luckily, I had an eye opener. Some stuff happened in my life, and I though to myself, I have tried the 'I'm not going to eat." Where did it get me?
One day, I just made the decision. I was going to TRY to eat a little bit.. even just a little bit more, and work my way up, at MY pace (instead of everyone trying to shove food down my throat). I was going to focus on the positives, I was going to try and be a little bit more social. I even ended up going to gym for a little while. It sounds daunting, but I have finally figured out what drove me. Something that kind of helps sometimes, is think about what you have: For me it's a family, friends, a life, a roof over my head. Suddenly my life seemed less of a monster, and more like a mouse."
Whatever the reasons, eating disorders are very serious and teens who suffer from them need to get help. You can find out more on About's Eating Disorder site.
