Eating Disorders by Gender: Signs, Risks, and Support

Published: 06/05/2026 | Updated: 06/05/2026

Authored by: Zachary Ehrmann, MSc

Edited by: Jemma Strain, B.S. Psychology

Eating disorders are one of the most serious mental health conditions affecting teenagers. Approximately 9% of the U.S. population will develop an eating disorder during their life, with symptoms often first appearing during adolescence.^[1]

For far too long, eating disorders were seen as something that only affected teenage girls. This is partly because the warning signs of eating disorders for boys can look different than those expected. And this misconception may also come down to stigma, as boys might feel judged for seeking support.

At the same time, girls continue to face their own set of pressures that make disordered eating in adolescents harder to detect and easier to ignore or dismiss.

Body image and eating disorders in teens are closely linked – regardless of gender. And, unfortunately, eating disorders are psychiatric conditions with potentially serious consequences that can be life-threatening without teen eating disorder treatment.

If you’re concerned that you or your teen is exhibiting the signs of an eating disorder, seeking professional support as soon as possible is essential for both mental and physical well-being. This page can also help you understand the issues around negative body image teens face, how they connect to gender, and where to find support. It explores:

Eating disorder signs in teens.
How anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating present in adolescents.
Eating disorders in boys vs. girls.
Risk factors parents and caregivers should know about.
Food anxiety in teens and how it can lead to disordered eating.
Adolescent eating disorder therapy and recovery.

Signs of an Eating Disorder in Teenagers

Eating disorders aren’t always easy to spot. Your child might start skipping meals, citing a busy schedule. Or they may start losing weight so gradually that no one realizes it’s a concern.

Some signs are physical, others are behavioral, while some might show up in how a teen talks about food, their body, or eating in general. Knowing what to watch out for is important, as early intervention is one of the strongest predictors of eventual recovery.^[2]

Common warning signs of eating disorders in youth can include:

Noticeable physical changes, such as rapid weight loss or weight gain, or fluctuating weight.
Skipping meals and trying to avoid eating, or claiming that they have already eaten.
Having obsessive food rules and rigid thinking patterns around eating.
Excessive food restrictions, calorie counting, and meal timing.
Trying to eat in secret, hiding food, or disappearing immediately after meals.
Having frequent bathroom trips after eating.
Engaging in excessive exercise, especially after eating.
Wearing oversized clothes to hide weight loss or changes in body shape.
Becoming anxious or distressed at meal times or when in social eating situations.

Now that we have established some of the core warning signs of eating disorders, let’s take a closer look at the main types in turn to help you better understand what they can look like.

Anorexia, Bulimia, and Binge Eating in Adolescents

Anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating all share a troubled relationship with food, eating, and body image that involves unhealthy eating habits in teens. However, each eating disorder follows different patterns, depending on the condition.

Anorexia Nervosa

Anorexia involves a severe food restriction that’s driven by a fear of weight gain and a distorted self-image around body size. Teenagers with anorexia usually believe they look much bigger than they do, regardless of how much weight they’ve lost.

Behaviorally, a teen with anorexia may:

Cut out entire food groups.
Set extreme caloric intake limits.
Refuse to eat in front of anyone.

From a physical standpoint, anorexia can cause:

Hair thinning.
A loss of menstruation for girls.
Low blood pressure.
Poor circulation.
Organ failure, in severe cases.

For these reasons, anorexia carries one of the highest mortality rates of any psychiatric condition.^[3]

Bulimia Nervosa

Bulimia is a condition known for cycles of binge eating, followed by compensatory behaviors such as:

Vomiting.
Laxative use.
Fasting.
Intense exercise.

Teens with bulimia often maintain an average weight, which can make it easier to miss.^[4]

Additionally, anorexia and bulimia symptoms in teens can overlap. Some teenagers restrict their food intake for a period of time, and then binge and purge when the restriction becomes too much.

Physical signs of bulimia can include:

Dental erosion from throwing up.
Swollen jaw glands.
Calluses on the knuckles.
Frequent sore throats.

Binge Eating Disorder

Binge eating disorder, or BED, is the most common eating disorder in the United States.^[5] Teens with BED eat large amounts of food within a short period, often feeling out of control during these episodes and finding it hard to cope with shame afterward.

Usually, there is no purging behavior after a binge, which can cause those around them to view these behaviors as overeating or a lack of self-control instead of a psychiatric condition.

Binge eating in teens is often tied to emotional distress, with food becoming a way to cope with things like anxiety, loneliness, or difficult feelings. The shame that follows the eating behaviors also quickly becomes a trigger for the next binge, leading to a cycle of behaviors.

Eating Disorders in Boys vs. Girls

Research suggests that teenage boys actually account for around a third of adolescents with eating disorders, yet they remain much less likely to get diagnosed or referred to the appropriate treatment.^[6]

Part of the reason for this is cultural. Thinness carries different social importance for boys than for girls. Boys are more likely to try to look masculine instead of thin, with excessive protein intake, cutting out entire food groups, and extreme attempts to “cut” or “bulk” alongside a fitness regimen. Plus, a teen boy who restricts food and loses weight might get compliments about looking “lean” or “athletic” before the behavior becomes disordered.

Additionally, boys are sometimes much less likely to tell anyone they’re having a hard time. Shame, the fear of not being believed or being judged, and the view that eating disorders are something that only happens to women can all create barriers in asking for help.

When it comes to adolescent girls, they are much more likely to develop anorexia and bulimia. This is because body image and eating disorders in teens who are female usually center around the desire to be thinner. What’s more, social pressure from peers, social media, and cultural beauty standards can all serve as primary drivers of restrictive eating.

Food anxiety in teens who are girls can commonly come up in social situations, such as:

School lunches.
Family dinners.
Eating out with friends.

Avoiding these situations, or eating very little when in attendance, can be an important early warning sign.

However, when it comes to what both groups share, regardless of gender, eating disorder risk factors in teens include:^[7]

Low self-esteem.
Perfectionism.
A history of trauma or being bullied.
Anxiety.
Depression.
Family pressures.

Are You or a Loved One Struggling with anxiety, depression, or other mental health concerns?

Mission Prep is here to help you or your loved one take the next steps towards an improved mental well-being.

Risk Factors to Know About

In adolescence, when identity is still forming, and peer pressure can feel constant, things can get complicated fast. Therefore, there is no single factor that causes an eating disorder. Rather, they develop due to a combination of:

Genetic factors.
Psychology.
Family dynamics.
Social environment.

Below, we discuss the different contributing factors.

Genetics and Family History

Eating disorders do tend to run in families. A teenager with a parent or sibling with an eating disorder, depression, anxiety, or obsessive-compulsive disorder faces much higher risks.^[8]

Genetics don’t determine things on their own, or the outcome, but they can lower the threshold at which environmental pressures can cause disordered behavior.

Other Mental Health Conditions

Both anxiety and depression are among the most common co-occurring conditions with eating disorders for teenagers. Food anxiety in teens can often occur before an eating disorder diagnosis.

Additionally, teens who set extremely high standards for themselves and find it hard to tolerate failure sometimes transfer this rigidity onto either their relationship with food, their bodies, or both.

Trauma and Adverse Experiences

Teenagers who have gone through trauma (including abuse, neglect, bullying, or major life losses) are at an elevated risk for disordered eating. Controlling food intake can be a way to manage difficult and overwhelming feelings when other coping tools aren’t working or available.

Sexual trauma, in particular, carries a strong association with eating disorders.^[9]

Social and Cultural Pressure

Social media has accelerated exposure to narrow body image ideals at an age when teenagers are extremely susceptible to comparison. Research has linked higher social media use with higher body dissatisfaction and disordered eating behavior in adolescents.^[10]

Teenagers in sports such as gymnastics, dance, and swimming – or weight-class sports such as wrestling – also face pressures to control their bodies that can be a pathway into disordered eating in adolescents. Additionally, familial or cultural image expectations could also play a role.

Dieting and Weight-Related Comments

Early dieting in life is one of the biggest risks for developing an eating disorder. Teens who diet before the age of 14 face a much higher risk than those who don’t.^[11]

Additionally, comments about someone’s weight (even well-intentioned ones) can also plant the early seeds of body dissatisfaction that grow over time.

Adolescent Eating Disorder Therapy and Recovery

Eating disorders are treatable conditions. With the right support, teenagers do recover, and adolescent eating disorder therapy works best when it addresses all the unique dimensions of the condition.

Family-based treatment (FBT), sometimes known as the “Maudsley approach”, is widely recognized as the most effective treatment for teenage anorexia. FBT actively involves parents in the recovery process, centering them as a source of support in the family system.^[12]

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is also commonly used for bulimia and binge eating disorder, targeting the thinking patterns that feed into disordered eating. Plus, dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) targets the emotional dysregulation commonly seen in these disorders, teaching new skills for distress tolerance.

Levels of Care

Teen eating disorder treatment doesn’t look the same for everyone. Some teenagers need more support, and residential treatment provides 24-hour care away from the family and school environment. This can give them distance from triggers and immerse them in therapeutic work for healing.

Intensive outpatient programs (IOPs) provide a higher level of support than standard outpatient care while still allowing your child to return home in the evenings. This option could be a good fit for those who need more support but don’t require 24-hour care.

Every teen deserves to thrive

There is no commitment required. Just an honest, confidential conversation about the support your family needs. Let’s take the first step together.

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Find Effective Eating Disorder Treatment With Mission Prep Teen Treatment

Teen eating disorder recovery involves rebuilding a young person’s relationship with food, their body, and themselves. It takes time and patience. At Mission Prep Teen Treatment, we specialize in mental health treatment for adolescents and their families for long-term recovery.

Our residential and outpatient programs provide evidence-based care for disordered eating in adolescents, along with co-occurring conditions like anxiety, depression, trauma, and more. Contact us online or call 866-901-4047 to learn more about our teen eating disorder recovery programs and how we can help your family find their way forward.

Adolescent Eating Disorders FAQ

If you suspect your child may have an eating disorder, you’re understandably feeling very worried. It’s important to seek professional support as soon as possible for eating disorders, as early intervention is key. The following FAQs about these conditions may help clarify things a little further.

Is there a way to tell if my child has a disorder or if they're just going through a phase?

Eating disorders tend to get worse over time without help, while phases pass. If your child is skipping meals regularly, showing distress around food, losing weight, or withdrawing from social situations, then it’s time to reach out for help.

You may also notice them binging and disappearing soon after, to the likes of the bathroom. If this is the case, it’s likely not a phase.

What should I do if I think my teen has an eating disorder?

Stay calm and non-confrontational when you talk with them. Focus on what you notice and not what you think it might mean. Don’t comment on their weight or food choices directly to avoid increasing their shame.

From there, reach out to a professional to get a proper assessment that can pave the way to getting the right help for teen eating disorders – call Mission Prep today to get started.