My experience with anorexia started when my daughter was about 15 but it was going for longer I just failed to notice. Teenage daughters are not easy and the moods, secrecy and emotional highs and lows can make it exhausting but can also hide underlining issues.
Not only did I miss the signs, I embraced certain elements as positives. The obsession with the gym I mistook as an opportunity to spend some time with me, the lack of sweets and sugar I just saw as a teenager wanting to be fit in a family that is generally over weight and the moods and secrecy were just, well, being a teenager.
By the time, we (or more to the point, me) realized how serious things had got - the position was drastic. We were referred to child and adolescent mental health service (CAMHS). I remember now, sitting in the first session, listening to a woman I had never met telling my daughter that if she didn't get a grip of her eating she could end up hospitalised or dead. It was as stark as that.
Accordingly to research by the Priory, the average onset age for anorexia nervosa is 16-17 with bulimia nervosa being 18-19. Despite the general perception that eating disorders are generally a female problem, 1 in 4 cases are actually male.
In this article, we take a look at the most common types of eating disorders, the symptoms, the causes and the treatments.
Eating disorders
There are many different kinds of eating disorders and we are only looking at the most common. Thankfully, there is help out there but if your child is showing signs of an eating disorder then it is important that you get them professional help as soon as possible.
Like many disorders, it is too easy to miss the signs. The pressure on children has increased significantly in the era of social media. Many children will hide their symptoms well and it is often well advanced before the signs become too obvious too ignore.
Anorexia nervosa
Essentially, this disorder sees an individual try to keep their weight off by either not eating enough or exercising too much (or usually, both!). Early signs including your child thinking they are overweight even when they clearly are not, low self-esteem or refusing/limiting what they will eat – even when you try and encourage them.
Bulimia
Quite often bulimia involves someone binge eating and then purging the weight by either vomiting, using laxative or over exercising.
Binge eating disorders
Not all eating disorders are focused on losing weight. Binge eating disorders see someone eating lots of food (usually over a short period of time) until they are uncomfortably full. Eating can often be in secret and not continue even when lacking appetite.
Pica
Pica sees individuals eating non-food objects including paint, dirt, hair and stones. Inevitably the impact of eating non-food objects can lead to serious complications.
What causes eating disorders?
There is no single cause. In the UK it is estimated that over 1.25m people have some form of eating disorder and evidence from Steer has suggested that this has increased during the pandemic.
Eating disorders are not just about food. Food is often a way of hiding a problem or at least using food as a form of comfort. The reasons for developing an eating disorder are numerous but include low self-esteem and peer pressure.
Causes will vary but can often emerge due to pressure at school, being a perfectionist or showing signs of compulsion. Social media has added to the pressure on children to fit a certain stereotype that is often unattainable which increases the pressure further.
Spotting the symptoms
As above, children can be quite adept at hiding (or disguising) a eating disorder. It is very easy to overlook an eating disorder as little more than healthy eating or just being more health conscious. However, some symptoms including your child becoming distant or withdrawn, obsessed with their weight, refusing to eat or “lying” about what they have eaten, hiding food, losing or gaining a lot of weight ir becoming very moody or tired.
Treatment
Treatment will vary but if you suspect your child has an eating disorder then it is important that you discuss this with your GP. Your GP will be able to assess your child’s status and if need be they can then refer you to CAMHS.
Dealing with eating disorders is not, unfortunately, something that you can simply take a pill for. The road back can often be long and difficult and can cause a lot of stress on your child and you. Equally, there is always the danger of a relapse in later life and so it is something to be mindful about all the time.
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