Anorexia Nervosa: What to Do If You Think Your Child Is Relapsing?

by Ellern Mede Eating Disorder Treatment

Early recovery can be a very tenuous time. It is especially scary for parents, but parents, "Do not let your hearts be troubled."

There are ways to stop relapses and stop them quickly.

If you used family-based outpatient anorexia treatment to help your child get better, all you need to do is re-institute the principles you used when your child was anorexic.

When your child was anorexic, there were certain signals that gave it away. Every child with an eating disorder has ideologies and behaviours in common, though your child most likely displayed elements of their illness that were unique to them. You know what these unique elements are and how to deal with them.

You played a central role in your child's recovery. You took the time to get to know your child in a new way. You learned the way they thought and the way they spoke while they were in the grips of an active eating disorder. The words they used before, the way they spoke, the way they questioned everything about food and the utter disgust they showed when food was placed before them will be hauntingly familiar again. It is possible they looked depressed, they may have reacted with anger, thrown food, or stormed off to their room when their anorexia nervosa was in control — these kinds of behaviours that were all too common before, you may be seeing them again.

When your child was in an active anorexic mode, you were also able to tell by observing their emotions. Anger or crying was, of course, the easiest to notice, but other feelings such as nervousness and underlying anxiety may have been less apparent. Anorexia Nervosa can be very cunning indeed. It may morph subtly and maybe slightly more difficult to recognize. Remember, it wants to survive, and it wants to flourish. If you really question what you are observing, contact the eating disorder therapist in London who helped you before.

Go with your gut instinct. Remember what you have learned and trust it. All of the knowledge you gained about eating disorders, all you have learned about your child; these are the things that will help you see a relapse is coming. It does not mean you need to freak out and panic, but it does mean you need to increase your vigilance. If your instincts are telling you to take back control of what and when they eat, don't hesitate. Do it. Reinstate all the things you did before that helped your child get better. It is always better to be safe than sorry. You do not want to be in a position later where you say; "If only I had listened to my gut!"

You are the parent, and you know your child. It is because of you they got better in the first place, and it will be because of you that they will not slip back into relapse mode! Pay attention, catch it early and act. You know what to do. You've been doing it all along.