Taking a Closer Look at Eating Disorders in Children

by Stify George Eating Disorder Therapist

A great many people consider only adolescents and teenagers when it comes to eating disorders. However, it’s important to know that eating disorders affect children as well. With the rate at which the number of young boys and girls under 12 diagnosed with eating disorders is rising in recent times, it becomes imperative for parents and caretakers to identify the early warning signs. Because eating disorders in children can spark off significant damage to the whole family both functionally and emotionally.

Commonly found eating disorders in children

· Anorexia Nervosa affects both young girls and boys. Anorexic children constantly think they’re overweight when in reality, they appear underweight to others. Children keep on obsessing about how to cut down their food intake and how to control and reduce their weight. They find solace in unrestrained exercise or binging followed by purging.

· Pica is a bizarre condition where a child frequently takes to eating non-food or non-nutritional substances like soap, dirt, chalk, ice, sand and hair.

· Avoidant or Restrictive Food Intake Disorder is a malady where children experience a disturbance in their eating behavior such as an absence of interest in food or a tangible abhorrence for specific food types.

A few less commonly occurring disorders are bulimia nervosa and binge eating.

As far as eating disorders in children below 12 are concerned, early detection and preventive action are critical. Here we investigate the different warning signs as suggested by leading eating disorder treatment centers that you should be paying a special mind to.

Preliminary signs of caution may include:

· A fear of stomach aches

· An aversion to tastes

· A plentitude of tantrums

· Excessive bowel movements

· A needless and continuous worry about body image

Symptoms of a well-developed eating disorder may include:

· A constant refusal to eat

· A habitual tendency to reduce food portions

· Noticeable weight loss

· A receding hairline and thinning of hair

· Stunted growth and development

· Delayed puberty

· Contracting constipation or digestion problems

· A persistently worrying habit to hide or hoard food

· Origination of mood swings

How to treat eating disorders in children?

There are several components of a typical eating disorder treatment among young children. The foremost component is regaining weight with intent to restore the child’s nutritional and physical health.

As parents and caretakers play pivotal roles in a child’s life, family-centric intervention is normally recommended by a majority of eating disorder treatment centers. Quite often, parents blame themselves for their child’s eating disorder. On that account, time and again, the results of the treatment are superior when parents become more aware and empowered to lend a helping hand to their child.

Children may likewise need to go through behavioral mediations to help get used to foods they stay away from and to assist them in reviving a healthy relationship with eating.

On the off chance, you’re the parent of a child suffering from an eating disorder, it’s crucial that you reach out and form an alliance with your child’s pediatrician, nutrition experts or other mental health professionals. They can come to your succour to make you feel supported and derive the best treatment and care for your child.

You can simply Google eating disorder treatment near me to set the right course of treatment and bring back a health-giving relationship with food beneficial to your child’s entire life. Therefore, despite the fact that you may be uncertain there’s actually a problem, it never hurts to get in touch with professionals