Eating Disorder Teenager
Eating disorder teenager: This can occur for many different reasons, and are often beyond our control.
- Becoming a teenager is a stressful time for many and changes to body shape can be disturbing and distressing for some, particularly if they start earlier than their friends.
- Many teens have role models who are very thin which leads to them feeling that that is the perfect body size.
- Adolescents can find other stresses, such as divorcing parents, friendship problems or bullying, or a death in the family, difficult to deal with and find that controlling their food is a way of being in control of their lives.
What ever the reason, if you suspect that your teen has an eating disorder it is important to:
- not blame yourself (even if you suspect that stresses in the family are the cause of this, this is not something you could have foreseen or prevented).
- not blame your teenager (they are not responsible for this, and are not doing this on purpose).
It is vital to
talk to your teen about your fears, however hard that may seem. Plan what you are going to say and how you would like to help before you talk.
Get advice from your doctor. Be reassuring to your teenager and show that you are not judging them and
love them regardless.
Here are some
practical suggestions to work on together:
- Your teenager and you can plan the meals together so that you know you are producing food they are likely to eat.
- Avoid having too much food
in the fridge or cupboard if this is likely to lead to binge eating.
- Remember that leaving food out, or having bathroom scales easily available, can put extra pressure on your teenager, so discuss this and agree on how to minimise these difficulties.
Above all, make sure you offer
un-judgemental and unconditional love and support to your troubled teenager, however difficult to understand you sometimes find their problem.
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