Does My Child Have an Eating Disorder?

In today's world with there being such a heavy emphasis on body image and trying to have the perfect body children as young as 8 and 9 years old are starting to develop eating disorders. While it is true that they are more prominent in girls, there are many cases of boys who develop eating disorders as well. With the increased pressure for children to grow up quickly they may look to popular actors, actresses, singers or athletes and try to copy their image thus resulting in them thinking they need to lose weight. Other children may be overweight and are subject to teasing and bullying at school or sadly even at home. Many parents think that they are "encouraging" their child to be healthy by telling them they are "chubby" and should go try to exercise to lose a few pounds when in fact they are sending very negative messages to their child. For those who are concerned their child may have an eating disorder or is at risk here is a look at some signs to watch for.

One of the first signs of an eating disorder such as anorexia or bulimia is that the child may request to start eating their food in another room. They may use the excuse that they want to study, do homework or that they just want to be alone. Often times they will use this opportunity to hide the food or throw it away while the parent is not looking. For children who have to sit at the dinner table they may cut their food into extremely small pieces or try to hide the pieces into a napkin to give off the illusion they have eaten. In more desperate cases, or when dealing with teenagers they may claim they are just "not hungry" or that they have already eaten.

In cases where one suspects their child might be at risk for bulimia, a condition where one will binge and purge, their child may go to the bathroom right after eating or the parent may notice large amounts of food missing. Children and teens may attempt to hide the wrappers or packaging of the food by wrapping them up in paper towels or other things.

Some of the most obvious signs of eating disorders are of course the physical signs. If a child or teen has developed anorexia they will have a noticeable weight loss. They may also start to wear bulky clothes in attempt to hide their shrinking figure or try to weight their clothes down by layering them. Bulimics are typically of a healthy weight as their bodies will absorb some of the calories before they purge their food but there are other physical signs. Bulimics will often have calloused fingers where they have been using them to purge or throw up. Their teeth may also start to rot due to the purging. Anorexics may have very thin hair or begin to lose their hair. They will also likely be weak and tired due to lack of vitamins and nutrients.

Parents who suspect their child or teen may have an eating disorder should contact the child's doctor immediately and get them help. Sadly eating disorders are very hard to overcome and in most cases when left untreated will last for years. Doctors may recommend strict monitoring and counseling for less severe cases whereas in more severe cases they may recommend the child or teen be put in a special rehabilitation center where they can get the help they need to get back on track to living a happy, healthy life once again.