An eating disorder can affect any age group. It is most likely to affect children. Eating disorders are serious and coexist with other issues, like depression or anxiety. These disorders can disrupt your children’s lifestyle and cause major changes down the line. Hence, it is vital to attend to these challenges early. Delaying may lead to life-threatening problems.
What Does an Eating Disorder Imply?
Inconsistent eating is characterized by changing behaviour towards food. This behavioural disturbance associated with overpowered distressing thoughts and emotions affects psychological and physical conditions. It is known as an eating disorder. There are 3 primary types of eating disorders:
a) Anorexia
It is a condition where a child refuses to consume adequate nutrition or calories under the fear of gaining weight.
b) Bulimia
It is a condition in which a child over-eats and then pukes out the whole food. Eating obsessively and using laxatives to prevent weight gain affects the child’s health in this case.
c) Binge eating
In this, a child eats continuously without considering the health aspect. Here, he does not purge out the food.
Eating disorders mainly develop in adolescence. Anorexia and Bulimia affect women. The disorder is associated with weight gain and consciousness. It instils a thought of having a lean body shape and weight in children. They have been associated with anxiety that a child develops regarding certain foods. This purging reveals the aversion to certain foods.
According to statistics, eating disorders can be found in women aged 12-35. Experts suggest that hereditary plays a crucial role in determining the severity of the disease and is the reason behind the disorder. However, this can also afflict people with no history of eating disorders. Eating disorders require pampering, unconditional love, and treatment. But how to know whether your child is suffering from one? Let’s talk about the symptoms.
What are some common Symptoms of Eating Disorders in Children?
Initially, you may find it challenging to conclude the severity of the disease in your child. Observe whether your child reacts the following way regarding food or not:
- fear of gaining weight
- obsessed with the “perfect figure” notion
- Extreme weight loss
- Frequently checking in the mirror for flaws
- Consuming abnormal or large chunks of food in a single sitting
- Fluctuations in weight
- Refusing to eat with others in the room
- Attend loo quite often
- Irritation and irregular mood swings
- Thinning of hair
- Feeling of guilt toward food
- Weakness and fatigue
- Preoccupation with dieting and consuming calories
- Rigidness towards a certain food
Despite the symptoms, it is often challenging to realize whether your child is suffering from eating disorders. The reason is- that the eating choices one makes are influenced by multiple factors-like consuming vegetarian or non-veg food, glutton-free food, peer pressure, pressure from guardians, and cultural challenges.
But if a child faces any of the above symptoms, it is vital to act immediately.
Yes, taking out guaranteed loans for unemployed from direct lenders is important for expert treatment, but before that, ensure the right conduct of confronting your children.
How Does One Respond and Talk Out This with Children?
Treating and preventing eating disorders is vital the very moment you recognize the change. These are some steps you can take to prevent and treat eating disorders in kids.
1) Adopt a healthy routine
Children follow the footsteps of guardians/parents in essential life aspects. Thus, the first thing to do is re-align your lifestyle with a healthy routine.
If you have an eating disorder, as it is a genetic disease, seek treatments and therapies for relief. Or, if you have inconsistent eating habits, switch to a healthy diet chart unapologetically.
This change will trickle down to your kids, and they will work towards their eating habits. They will identify the seriousness of the issue and follow in your footsteps. In this way, you can help your child come out of the psychological mess associated with food.
2) Support your child’s self-esteem
It is clear from the symptoms above that a child suffering from an eating disorder faces anxiety and personality issues. They obsess over personality and do everything to have an ideal one. Here, parents play an important role in helping their children re-define their personality goals. Brush up their self-esteem by appreciating the choices your children make.
A small appreciation goes a long way in helping your kid figure out complex life issues and come out of them successfully. You can help your children develop self-esteem by inculcating emotions like personal competence, security, and pride in your child. When your children feel accepted and loved, they eventually come out of the uncomfortable psychological situation.
Provide them opportunities regardless of the outcome. Do not criticize failure; instead, pat their back for throwing their best out there. Do not lavish unnecessary praise; grant them the opportunity to fail and succeed on their merit.
3) Ensure open and honest conversations
Any good relationship begins by ensuring a smooth and open conversation from both sides. Parents and kids have reserved relationships. Children hardly open up to their parents. And when this happens, the children suffer internally.
Instead of having the lecture mode on, focus on your children’s psychological condition. Before elaborating on the dangers of imbalanced eating habits, start with some open-ended questions about anything but food. Having an open conversation will elicit a positive response from your children. They will feel comfortable talking their heart out on matters.
Emotions are sometimes at the root of eating disorders. Ask your children tactfully about their life goals, issues, and personal issues. Based on the teachings, you can define the entire plan to cater to the eating disorders in your child.
4) Do not comment on the physical structure
Obsessing over having the best personality out there is one of the serious symptoms of eating disorders. Think from a child’s perspective. A child believes they can transform their world by making cool eating choices.
Thus, as a parent, do not comment on your child’s body weight, appearance, or views. Instead, focus on the internal traits. If you work on developing your children’s internal traits, they will eventually understand the right way to react to different situations in life. While talking or interacting with your kids regarding physique or appearance, it is ideal to choose words carefully.
5) Validate your child’s resistance
Someone with an eating disorder does everything to hide actual emotions. They may express denial in everything you put forward- whether a piece of advice or a question. Your kid may not like being confronted in this way. Never use the “I” word while interacting with your kid. Thus, try your best to stay calm during the whole interaction. Avoid reacting or commenting on your kid’s views.
Do not make any comments that make your child feel embarrassed about the whole thing. It can affect your relationship with your child and make your child feel hesitant to share anything with an open heart. However, the yelling and anger could be difficult to handle, but practising patience is part of the process to help your kid confront and come out of it successfully.
Bottom line
Eating disorders might task to recognize and cure, but practising empathy, open conversation and heeding your children’s issues can help your kid overcome them. You can consult a therapist and a dietician to know what may work best for your kid. It is just about successfully getting the right help and acting immediately to counter eating disorders.