Preventing Eating Disorders
Here are some things parents can do to prevent eating disorders and ultimately nurture a healthy perspective in their children:
• Set a good example by eating healthy, balanced meals.
• Be respectful of yourself and others without focusing on appearance or weight.
• Be aware of and talk about the influences your children face in their lives (friends, television, magazines).
• Encourage positive behavior and discuss expectations without pressuring your children to be "the best" or over-achievers in all they do.
• Be direct but compassionate in pointing out concerns.
Q. How can you tell if a person has an eating disorder or is just being very careful about his or her diet?
A. Though often misdiagnosed and misunderstood, an eating disorder is not a diet. Most people would define a diet as adjusting one's eating habits with the hopes of becoming healthier, whether by reaching a healthy weight or managing risk factors like cholesterol.
At first glance, certain eating disorders may seem similar to a diet, but the motivation and underlying emotions are very different. With eating disorders, people's relationships with food and weight begin dictating their social interactions and consuming their thoughts. Dangers to one's health are disregarded as the drive for thinness or uncontrolled eating becomes overwhelming. Trying to eliminate any fat or overvaluing comfort from food become preoccupations.
Because the focus is something other than simply wanting to slim down or become healthier, an eating disorder can result in extreme and detrimental eating habits and weight changes. The dangers are so great that eating disorders pose a higher risk for death than any other psychological disorder.
Common Forms
of Eating Disorders
Eating disorders can carry both physical and emotional implications. Though they most commonly occur in females during adolescence and early adulthood, males and people of all ages can suffer from eating disorders.
The three most common forms of eating disorders include:
Anorexia - People with anorexia have an intense fear of gaining weight and avoid consuming food. They obsess about perceived problems of gaining weight even when they are very thin, and they feel compelled to restrict eating.
Bulimia - People with bulimia induce vomiting or purge by means of laxatives or diet pill misuse, often after binge eating (consuming large amounts of food in a short period).
Binge Eating - People who are binge eaters will impulsively consume large amounts of food in short periods but, unlike people dealing with bulimia, do not purge to compensate for binging.
Oftentimes, people suffering from anorexia refuse to maintain a normal body weight and express a distorted view of their weight and size. In bulimia, normal weight may be maintained, but unhealthy measures are taken to control weight. Binge eating, on the other hand, can be connected to obesity.
Signs of Eating Disorders
Eating disorders can affect a person's health on many levels, and the warning signs of eating disorders are displayed in diverse ways, from physical appearance to social interactions. Here are some of the common signs to look for:
• Preoccupation with weight or body shape
• Extreme emotions, irritability, confusion or lack of concentration
• Depression
• Anxiety, often during meal times, or making excuses to avoid eating
• Eating in private or hoarding food
• Compulsive over-eating, often tied to emotions
• Trips to the bathroom after eating
• Changing clothing style or wearing baggy clothes
• Withdrawal from social life and loss of interest in hobbies
• Avoidance of situations involving food
• Dramatic changes in weight
• Dry hair, brittle nails or unhealthy skin tone
• Loss of energy, poor sleep and complaints of feeling cold
• Loss of menstruation in women
These are warnings signs for a range of eating disorders, so one individual is likely to suffer only some of the above signs.
Getting Help
Recognizing the signs and seeking help for an eating disorder can be a difficult process for both the people suffering from the disorder and their loved ones. In many cases, victims of eating disorders do not see themselves as being underweight.
Treatment should include a comprehensive approach that attends to the person's physical and psychological needs. A family physician or school nurse is a good resource for getting started on the path to recovery.
It is important that friends and family understand that recovering from an eating disorder is not simply a matter of making a logical choice to eat properly; however, recovery and a healthy relationship with food is possible with proper treatment.
- As a psychologist,
Dr. Sherman Sievers provides mental health care for adolescents and adults. He has a special interest in relationship issues, anxiety,
depression, and anger management
A. Though often misdiagnosed and misunderstood, an eating disorder is not a diet. Most people would define a diet as adjusting one's eating habits with the hopes of becoming healthier, whether by reaching a healthy weight or managing risk factors like cholesterol.
At first glance, certain eating disorders may seem similar to a diet, but the motivation and underlying emotions are very different. With eating disorders, people's relationships with food and weight begin dictating their social interactions and consuming their thoughts. Dangers to one's health are disregarded as the drive for thinness or uncontrolled eating becomes overwhelming. Trying to eliminate any fat or overvaluing comfort from food become preoccupations.
Because the focus is something other than simply wanting to slim down or become healthier, an eating disorder can result in extreme and detrimental eating habits and weight changes. The dangers are so great that eating disorders pose a higher risk for death than any other psychological disorder.
Common Forms
of Eating Disorders
Eating disorders can carry both physical and emotional implications. Though they most commonly occur in females during adolescence and early adulthood, males and people of all ages can suffer from eating disorders.
The three most common forms of eating disorders include:
Anorexia - People with anorexia have an intense fear of gaining weight and avoid consuming food. They obsess about perceived problems of gaining weight even when they are very thin, and they feel compelled to restrict eating.
Bulimia - People with bulimia induce vomiting or purge by means of laxatives or diet pill misuse, often after binge eating (consuming large amounts of food in a short period).
Binge Eating - People who are binge eaters will impulsively consume large amounts of food in short periods but, unlike people dealing with bulimia, do not purge to compensate for binging.
Oftentimes, people suffering from anorexia refuse to maintain a normal body weight and express a distorted view of their weight and size. In bulimia, normal weight may be maintained, but unhealthy measures are taken to control weight. Binge eating, on the other hand, can be connected to obesity.
Signs of Eating Disorders
Eating disorders can affect a person's health on many levels, and the warning signs of eating disorders are displayed in diverse ways, from physical appearance to social interactions. Here are some of the common signs to look for:
• Preoccupation with weight or body shape
• Extreme emotions, irritability, confusion or lack of concentration
• Depression
• Anxiety, often during meal times, or making excuses to avoid eating
• Eating in private or hoarding food
• Compulsive over-eating, often tied to emotions
• Trips to the bathroom after eating
• Changing clothing style or wearing baggy clothes
• Withdrawal from social life and loss of interest in hobbies
• Avoidance of situations involving food
• Dramatic changes in weight
• Dry hair, brittle nails or unhealthy skin tone
• Loss of energy, poor sleep and complaints of feeling cold
• Loss of menstruation in women
These are warnings signs for a range of eating disorders, so one individual is likely to suffer only some of the above signs.
Getting Help
Recognizing the signs and seeking help for an eating disorder can be a difficult process for both the people suffering from the disorder and their loved ones. In many cases, victims of eating disorders do not see themselves as being underweight.
Treatment should include a comprehensive approach that attends to the person's physical and psychological needs. A family physician or school nurse is a good resource for getting started on the path to recovery.
It is important that friends and family understand that recovering from an eating disorder is not simply a matter of making a logical choice to eat properly; however, recovery and a healthy relationship with food is possible with proper treatment.
- As a psychologist,
Dr. Sherman Sievers provides mental health care for adolescents and adults. He has a special interest in relationship issues, anxiety,
depression, and anger management
