Eating Disorders, Part 1: What All Parents Should Know

With growing concern and rising numbers of eating disorders in our youth, we are launching our 3-part series on Eating Disorders, written by eating disorder specialist and colleague, Katherine Fowler, MS, RD, LDN.

I am sure you have heard discussions about diets and resolutions of weight loss in past weeks.  Your child is probably listening to these conversations and may be thinking about going on a diet or losing weight.  Did you know that dieting is linked to disordered eating behaviors?  Studies have found that young dieting girls are seven to eight times more likely to develop an eating disorder than girls who do not diet.  Because dieting talk is everywhere this month, I thought this an appropriate time to launch a series on the parent’s role in preventing, identifying, and treating this growing problem.

So what exactly are eating disorders? They are a serious disturbance of eating behavior.  Eating disorders are not diet strategies or trends, rather, they are serious psychological disorders that have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness. There are many types of eating disorders and they are not limited to gender, age, socio-economic status or ethnicity.

This issue is affecting kids at younger ages than ever before.  According to the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders Ten Year Study, 10% of those affected report an onset before the age of 10 years or younger. Not a surprise considering one study found 81% of 10 year old girls are afraid of becoming fat.  Kids’ exposure to thin idealism and dieting from TV, movies, magazines, and the Internet is not fading anytime soon. The National Eating Disorders Association’s description on factors that may contribute to an eating disorder provides more information.

There are three categories of eating disorders; you can view the DSM-IV criteria for eating disorders for more details.

1. Anorexia nervosa (AN)

Refusal to maintain body weight at or above a normal weight for the child’s age and height; an intense fear of gaining weight or becoming fat.

2. Bulimia nervosa (BN)

Uncontrolled or binge eating accompanied by behaviors to prevent weight gain, such as self-induced vomiting, laxative use, fasting, excessive exercise, and others.

3. Eating disorders not otherwise specified (EDNOS)

Disordered eating that meets some, but not all, of the criteria for anorexia or bulimia; includes more uncommon eating disorders.  Binge eating disorder (BED), or compulsive overeating without behaviors to prevent weight gain falls into this category. Most people with BED are overweight or obese.  Binge eating is often done alone and parents may not be aware their child’s weight gain is related to binge eating.

Even though EDNOS is not as “well-known”, it can still be just as serious as anorexia or bulimia.  Complications of eating disorders can create countless health consequences that can be lethal in severe cases.

The most important thing you need to know is that parents can help prevent eating disorders in their children. And, the earlier treatment is sought, the higher the likelihood of a full recovery.

Raise awareness by sharing this post with other parents!

Stay tuned next week for Part 2 of this series, Warning Signs Parents Need to Look For.