How to Spot the Early Signs of Eating Disorders in Your Kids

There have been many studies conducted on the causes and treatment for eating disorders. The disorders that are recognized as being most prevalent often occur in pre-teen and teen girls and last throughout their life to some extent. An eating disorder may begin as a diet, and at some point the need to achieve a certain look overtakes the young person and the diet slides into the realm of disorder.

One of the issues that occur with most people who would normally help the young person, is that the disorders are very difficult to identify. A parent may think that their young teen is a picky eater when they do not eat the food they are served at meals. In many cases, the teen will explain their lack of hunger away by saying they have eaten something before arriving at home. If a parent or friend is aware of the indicators of an eating disorder, they can be pivotal in helping the young person recover before the disorder becomes out of control.

Many of the young people who develop eating disorders, do so because they do not feel in control of their lives. Many of the teens may seem more mature than other children their age. They often excel in sports and academics and spend a great deal of time participating in activities and events that other people want them to. The only area where they feel they have complete control is over what goes into their mouths.

In the beginning anorexia may start very gradually and be difficult to identify. The young person may count all of the items on their plate and eat a specific number of peas, macaroni, etc. They often will have an acute interest in diets and nutrition. And, they will compare every photo in a magazine spread to their own body. The eating disorder is often accompanied by compulsive exercise and the young person will know exactly how much exercise they must do to burn off the calories that they have eaten at a meal.

One way that the teen is able to hide drastic weight loss from family and friends is to wear bulky or layered clothing. They will often bundle up even when the weather is warm so that people that may react negatively to the way they look. The anorexic does not see themselves as skinny, even when they have reached the critical stages of the disorder. Their self image is one of a “fat” girl and they can look in a mirror and see every area of their body that is fat, even when there is no fat present.

There are some physical indicators that a person is anorexic which can help you to identify the problem early. One obvious indicator is wearing layered clothing, being overly modest, and not wearing clothing where their body is exposed.

An indicator that is very noticeable is the dull and thinning hair that results from a lack of the proper vitamins and nutrients that a person needs to survive. Another indicator will be that the person with eating disorders will often be overly tired and be unable to exert themselves in many sports or activities that require high energy.

Each year, more than 5 million Americans are affected by that of serious and often life-threatening disorders such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia, binge-eating, compulsive eating, and obesity for example. Eating disorder recovery can be faster if you attend an eating disorder clinic. For more free info, please visit our website.