Unrealistic Weight-Related Self-Image Increases Suicide Risk in Teen Girls
By
Hugh C. McBride
July 17, 2009
As every parent of a teen girl knows, weight concerns are high on the list of issues that impact their child's physical and emotional well-being. From the dangers of eating disorders to the health risks that are associated with childhood obesity, maintaining a healthy weight during the tumultuous teen years can be a difficult process.
A recent study by an economist at Georgia State University will likely bring little comfort to parents.
According to a March 15 article on the ScienceDaily medical news website, GSU assistant professor Inas Rashad has determined that adolescent girls who think they are too fat are at increased risk for committing suicide - even if the girls are actually within the normal, healthy weight range for their age:
- The researchers analyzed data that had been collected by the Youth Risk Behavioral Surveillance System over an eight-year period beginning in 1999.
- The researchers found that the belief that they were overweight increased girls' probability of having suicidal thoughts by 5.6 percent, raised the probability of suicide attempts by 3.2 percent, and increased the likelihood that they would injure themselves during a suicide attempt by 0.6 percent.
- The risk of suicide by adolescent females could potentially add about $280 to $350 million to the costs of adolescent obesity, which includes the direct cost of illnesses and associated health care and indirect costs such as productivity losses, reduced income, and premature mortality.
"We find that the role perception has independently of actual overweight status is an important one, which has implications in terms of any solutions to the obesity epidemic that are put forth," Rashad said. "Interventions that identify and assist these youths and educate them regarding a healthy body image will succeed in lowering suicide attempts."
Adolescents and Obesity
Inas Rashad is not the only expert concerned about the weight of American adolescents today.
Among others, the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) has described adolescent obesity as a significant problem both for overweight young people and society in general:
The problem of childhood obesity in the United States has grown considerably in recent years. Between 16 and 33 percent of children and adolescents are obese. Obesity is among the easiest medical conditions to recognize but most difficult to treat. Unhealthy weight gain due to poor diet and lack of exercise is responsible for over 300,000 deaths each year.
The annual cost to society for obesity is estimated at nearly $100 billion. Overweight children are much more likely to become overweight adults unless they adopt and maintain healthier patterns of eating and exercise.
Several experts - including Daniel S. Kirschenbaum, Ph.D., the clinical director of Wellspring Academy of California - have also noticed that overweight children are likely to suffer from dangerously low self-esteem. In some cases, children may be engaging in emotional eating as a way to numb themselves to psychological pain associated with depression, abuse, or other trauma, while in other cases the overweight children may be suffering from emotional problems as a result of bullying or ostracism.
Adolescents & Suicide
The National Youth Violence Prevention Resource Center has identified the following as among the behaviors or symptoms that indicate a young person may be at risk of considering or committing suicide:
- Depression and substance abuse - This is perhaps the indicator of greatest risk. More than nine of every 10 teen suicide victims had depression or another mental disorder and/or a history of drug or alcohol abuse.
- Family history of mental disorders, substance abuse, or suicide - Many mental disorders have a genetic component, which means that teens who come from families that have been affected by depression or other disorders may be more likely to suffer from the conditions themselves.
- Extreme stress or personal loss - Teenagers who have not developed healthy coping skills are at risk of considering or committing suicide when they experience significant stress or a loss such as a broken relationship or a problem at school.
- Exposure to other teenagers who have died by suicide - Teen suicides have been known to occur in "clusters," situations where many young people within a community or limited geographic area kill themselves within a relatively short period of time. These clusters are not "suicide plots," but are instead evidence that teens who are exposed to suicide (even when committed by someone unknown to them) are at increased risk for emulating the behavior.
Because of the intense pressure some adolescents feel to maintain an "ideal" or socially acceptable weight and body shape, those who believe that they are failing to do so can become depressed, or experience emotions similar to grief. As the Georgia State study indicates, the most important factor in these cases isn't whether or not the teen is actually overweight, but if she believes that she has not achieved the standard for which she is striving.
Keeping Kids Safe
Parents who recognize symptoms of adolescent depression in their children should take immediate action to determine the nature and severity of their children's emotional struggles. Some young people may be able to overcome their problems with outpatient therapy or short-term medical assistance, while others may require more intensive intervention.
From concerns about weight and self-image to problems with bullying, relationships, substance abuse, and defiance, modern adolescents and teenagers face myriad obstacles to their healthy development. But by establishing and maintaining an active positive presence in their lives, parents can put themselves in the best position to note symptoms and take effective action before relatively small challenges turn into life-altering problems.
Comments
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This is so true and creepy because most of the teens nowadays are so conscious with their posture and weight. So, they should be guided accordingly with their parents even if they're too busy. Give a little time to talk with them and have a conversation about the normality of having an increase in weight. Like me, who is very in writing jobs, I never had a time to forget that to my teens.
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