Day 62 Eating Disorders

62. Eating Disorders:

It can be devastating to discover that your teen has developed an eating disorder.

Kidshealth offer useful advice on this subject.

http://kidshealth.org/teen/food_fitness/problems/eat_disorder.html#

They have advice for children, advice for teens and advice for parents.

If you suspect that your child does have an eating disorder it is important to read up on the facts. There are different disorders and the treatments for each disorder can vary.

Anorexia and bulimia are two of the most common.

Some teens have a real fear of weight gain while some purge themselves or binge-eat. Some teens exercise all the time to prevent themselves from gaining weight.

Many people who develop an eating disorder are teenagers. The reasons for this vary. There are a lot of pressures on teenagers these days. They may be worried about exams, they may be responding to peer pressure and they may be feeling that they do not have enough control over their lives. Eating disorders should be taken seriously. In the most extreme cases the victim can experience malnutrition and even death.

As eating disorders involve the mind and the body, effective treatment involves looking after the mind and body.

Some teens are willing to be treated and can be referred for help via their G.P.

Some may resist this but agree to counselling or another form of therapy.

NHS Choices offers good advice here.

Treatment available can vary depending on where you live. Your local health centre should be able to let you know of the treatments available.

Life can be very hard for people with eating disorders, their friends and families. The NHS website offers advice on what you can do to support someone who has an eating disorder.

The path to recovery can be very long and slow. Tiny steps forward can be made followed by big jumps back. The key is to keep listening, keep reassuring your teen that you are there for them.

http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/teengirls/Pages/treatmentforeatingdisorders.aspx

Also be aware that some websites that say they are here to help people suffering from eating disorders are really sites where they teach teens how to disguise their eating disorder from their family and friends so that they can continue to starve themselves.

Before recommending a website to your teen check it out for yourself first to make sure that the advice that they are giving is likely to be helpful for them.