Exam Stress Triggers Eating Disorder

The physical changes brought about by adolescence, the desire to be accepted and liked by friends, and the stress of exams that coincide with this process can be triggers of eating disorders in adolescence.

Stating that eating disorders occur more during adolescence, which coincides with the period of exit from childhood, when body changes due to hormones are experienced and it becomes important to be liked by the opposite sex, Psychologist Dr. Feyza Bayraktar made suggestions to families about eating disorders and the problems that occur with it.

In addition to the responsibilities of school life, the performance anxiety and exam stress that arise in this process can pave the way for the formation of eating disorders, especially in a change process such as the transition to high school.

Difficulty in managing the physical and emotional changes brought by the adolescence process, the desire to be accepted and liked by peers, exam stress, effort to get a good high school education and future anxiety, as well as family pressure, overeating, gaining weight or starting strict diets and restricting food, In summary, it can cause eating disorders.

Bullying paves the way for eating disorders

Stating that the origin of eating disorders for which diagnostic criteria such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder are determined, is based on psychological factors. Feyza Bayraktar says that being exposed to peer bullying over weight or other physical characteristics also lays the groundwork for triggering eating disorders.

The message "You are valuable" should be given

Emphasizing that eating disorders occur especially in children who are made to feel inadequate, who are set high goals, and who are given the message that they can only be loved if they are successful or in a certain appearance, Bayraktar says that families should accept the difficulties of this process and not lose their understanding towards their children, and continues: In this process, instead of putting pressure on their children, they should support their children by drawing healthy boundaries. It is necessary to give children the skills to manage stress in a healthy way and to give them the message that they are valuable, lovable and sufficient under all circumstances. Children who feel valued and competent live a more peaceful life as they set realistic goals for themselves and take more confident steps towards reaching them. Considering the negative effects of eating disorders on development, children who have difficulties in this process must be under the control of a physician and receive psychological support.