Warning Signs Anorexia & Bulimia
❑ Intense fear of gaining weight: difficulty
maintaining normal body weight
❑ Extreme thinness – 15% or more below
normal body weight
Resources Eating Disorders Resource Center www.edrcsv.org/ Eating Disorders Anonymous www.eatingdisordersanonymous.org Overeaters Anonymous – www.oaphoenix.org/ notMYkid – Eating Disorders www.notmykid.org/ hot-topics/eating-disorders.aspx
esteem
HelpGuide.org – Eating Disorders www. helpguide.org/topics/eating_disorders.htm
❑ Extreme calorie and/or fat restriction ❑ Obsession with what can and cannot be
HelpGuide.org - Teen Depression www.helpguide. org/mental/depression_teen.htm
❑ Distorted body image with low self-
eaten – “good” & “bad” food lists
❑ Self-induced vomiting after meals ❑ Family history of eating disorders or
Community Information & Referral Services (602-263-8856)
abuse
Suicide / Crisis (Maricopa County) (480-784-1500)
❑ Perfectionism ❑ Dishonesty about eating / Hiding food ❑ Difficulty expressing feelings ❑ Physical symptoms, including mood
If a life-threatening emergency arises, contact 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.
swings, depression, limited energy, brittle nails, fainting, eroding tooth enamel, and headaches, slowed thinking, poor memory.
This brochure was a collaborative effort of notMYkid’s Professional Advisory Committee and principally authored by Elicia Nademin, Ph.D. (480-221-8816).
Compulsive Eating
❑ Difficulty controlling portion size ❑ Eating when bored, stressed, tired, sad,
and angry
❑ ❑ ❑ ❑
Frequently eating in response to cravings
Eating alone due to embarrassment Feelings of disgust, depression, or guilt Periods of eating much more rapidly than usual
❑ Exhibits low or hyper self-esteem
5230 E. Shea Blvd. Suite 100 Scottsdale AZ 85254 602-652-0163 info@notmykid.org
Eating Disorders About More Than Food and Fat
N
early ten million Americans suffer from some form of an eating disorder, usually beginning in adolescence, but for some as early as age eight. Eating disorders cross all racial boundaries, affect rich and poor, male and female, although 90% are female. Why do Eating Disorders occur? They meet an emotional need. There Are Three Types Of Eating Disorders People suffering from Anorexia Nervosa are obsessed with being thin and often eat very little. Those with Bulimia Nervosa are also fearful of gaining weight, but engage in excessive eating followed by self-induced vomiting, use of diuretics, laxatives, and/or excessive exercise to rid of calories consumed. Compulsive eaters generally overeat as a means of coping with and/or avoiding difficult emotions. For many who suffer from eating disorders, controlling food intake and weight allow them to feel “in control” or powerful over something. While eating disorders offer some temporary relief form very real emotional conflicts, longterm physical consequences and emotional aftermath (including feelings of guilt and selfloathing) pose significant long-term challenges as the disease progresses.
Action Steps For Parents Eating disorders permeate all aspects of your and your child’s life and may be influenced by a variety of emotional factors. The most caring thing you can do is talk with your child, listen, and take steps to initiate professional treatment. Understand that eating disorders are challenging, but treatment IS do-able. You must stay positive, affirmative, and firm in your conviction that recovery can be achieved. Understand that eating disorders present a complex set of challenges that typically require intervention from a team of professionals. Neither parents nor children are likely to be able to solve this illness on their own. Please ask for help. Don’t “insist” that your son or daughter has an eating disorder, but seek the advice of someone you trust like your family physician or psychologist. Perhaps you may use your child’s annual physical as a way to explore the extent to which a problem is present. It would be a good idea to alert your doctor ahead of time about your concerns. Listen more than you talk. If your child is willing to talk, listen without judgment, no matter how irrational she or he may sound. Be a role model for healthy eating, exercise, and body image. Avoid negative comments about your own or anyone else’s body. Even the most subtle comment about the body can do significant damage. Expect denial, defensiveness, and anger as you work with your child. People with eating disorders are hurting, and this hurt often creates irritability, fear, anger, and defensiveness. It is important to listen without interrupting or judging. Focus more on their health, relationships, and future than on current weight or appearance. Work to avoid power struggles or comments that might foster feelings of guilt or shame. Convey feelings of respect and concern about your child’s need for professional
assistance. Emphasize that you want your child around and healthy for many years. Our Children must hear we love hem just the way they are. Don’t blame yourself, but do take steps to be the most effective and supportive parent that you can be. Remain calm as you set firm limits insisting that your teen not skip meals or eat alone. Avoid power struggles in which you may be viewed as the ‘food police.’ Be ready to accept the advice of the doctors if they believe that a hospital stay is required to safely address the disease. Be especially firm if your teen pleads with you to leave him/her alone or promises to change on his/her own. Seek assistance from professionals with specific expertise in treating eating disorders. Your daughter or son will benefit from a physician to address the medical problems that often occur with eating disorders. A nutritional counselor will be helpful in designing meal plans that address nutritional deficiencies and facilitate success. The services of a behavioral/mental health professional, such as a social worker or psychologist, will be invaluable in managing impulses to eat or avoid eating as well as in addressing self-esteem, depression, isolation, relationship conflicts, or other emotional difficulties that often underlie eating-disordered behaviors. Remember, it takes courage and strength to ask for help.