When you think of eating disorders, you’re likely to imagine a young woman in her 20s, but this social stigma may mean we’re missing warning signs in other populations — including our teens. A growing number of teens are being diagnosed with eating disorders. And because the medical risks in young children can be exaggerated and escalate quickly, it’s important to spot the signs early.
Spot The Signs
One of the most common eating disorders seen in young children is Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID), a newer diagnosis that refers to highly restrictive eating habits and/or disturbed feeding patterns — think picky eating to the extreme. However, children can also show signs of other eating disorders, including anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, rumination disorder, binge eating disorder and pica. Although symptoms of each particular eating disorder may vary, many early warning signs are the same:
Taste/texture aversions
Show little interest in food or apparent lack of appetite
Eliminating food groups
Slowed height/weight gain
Preoccupation with body shape/size
Isolation from peers or family members
Hiding or hoarding food
Behavioral issues around mealtime
There is also an increased risk of eating disorders in children who have chronic illness, an already known mental health issue, or a family history of eating disorders.
Get Help If Needed
If you notice early warning signs, your first step is to talk to your pediatrician. Any significant changes on your child’s growth curve can spark further conversation around disordered eating, and if needed, the doctor can refer you to a mental health provider who specializes in eating disorder treatment.
Next, get yourself support. Any condition that veers from the norm can be a parenting challenge, so don’t expect yourself to know how to meet all your child’s needs. However, your support and patience is key to their recovery. Begin to educate yourself about the eating disorder — the National Eating Disorder Association is good place to start — and seek out a parent support group or therapy.
Finally, keep in mind that eating disorders aren’t about the food.
“A ‘just eat a sandwich’ attitude will not work,” says Kate Fisch, LCSW, eating disorder specialist at Northside Mental Health. “Disordered eating behaviors are really just outward expressions of internal emotional suffering.”
Often underlying trauma, anxiety, or issue with a relationship, self-esteem or mood is prompting the behavior. “Eating disorders provide children a better defined mechanism to express their stress and suffering,” Fisch says. In other words, when they can’t control those uncomfortable feelings or circumstances, they control their food instead.
Promote Body Positivity In Your Home
A proactive step in promoting healthy attitudes around food and eating is to model body positivity in your home. It’s no secret that in our media-heavy culture, children are bombarded with various messages about food and body weight — from super-skinny models in ads to fitness devices marketed toward toddlers — but as their parent, you hold a heavy dose of influence. Here are some things to think about.
Do You Love Your Body?
Children pick up on the way we talk about our bodies. If we’re critical about how we look, making comments about “being too fat” or “needing to lose a few pounds,” children learn their worth is dependent on looks. Instead, say kind things about yourself, perhaps shifting the focus to how you feel (energized, proud of an accomplishment) over appearance (overweight, big-boned).
Children in general tend to be observant of other people’s looks. In these conversations, take care to send the message that all bodies, no matter their shape, size, color or physical attributes, are important and valuable.
How Do You Relate To Food?
Much of diet culture focuses on good versus bad foods. “The truth is there is no such thing as good or bad food,” Fisch says. “Instead, there are ‘all the time foods’ and ‘sometimes foods.’” Instead of focusing on calorie-counting or eliminating certain types of foods (sugars, fats, etc.), help your child recognize hunger and fullness cues, and teach them the benefit of eating a variety of foods.
How Do You Talk About Exercise?
Being mindful of how you talk about exercise can also make an impact on body positivity. “We can shift our thinking from “working out” to “moving our bodies,” Fisch says, taking the focus off losing weight and refocusing on improving cardiovascular, pulmonary and mental health.
Overall, stay in tune with your children and their body-image attitudes. This will give you an edge on promoting self-acceptance and allow you to get them help if needed.
