|
|
FAQ What causes eating disorders?
Unfortunately, there is no simple answer to this question. We do know that certain personality characteristics, environment, family and social dynamics, and biological factors can all contribute to the development of eating disorders.
Some of the personality characteristics commonly seen in people with eating disorders include low self-esteem, feelings of helplessness, and a fear of becoming fat, as well as a tendency to judge ones self-worth on appearance and weight.
Environmental factors can be especially triggering for adolescents vulnerable to eating disordered thinking and behaviors. Difficult emotional experiences, unhealthy or strained relationships, and social pressures to be thin may all influence the onset of an eating disorder.
There may be certain genetically determined chemical imbalances in the brain that may predispose a person to develop an eating disorder. These combined with environmental factors, may help to explain why the rates of anorexia and bulimia are higher among first-degree female relatives.
How many people have eating disorders? Who are they?
Eating disorders can afflict almost anyone, and more than 5 million Americans experience eating disorders at some point in their lives. According to the National Institiute of Mental Health, an estimated 3% of young women have eating disorders, but up to 50% of cases may go clinically unrecognized.
Among adolescents, there is a 1% rate of anorexia nervosa and a 5% rate of bulimia nervosa. However, Eating Disorders Not Otherwise Specified (EDNOS) is thought to be even more common in the adolescent population. In a recent survey of 35,000 American high school students, 30.3% of girls and 16.6% of boys had eating patterns that were disordered enough to qualify for the diagnosis of EDNOS.
Adolescent and young adult women account for the majority of people with eating disorders: 85% to 90% of people with anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa and an estimated 60% of people with binge eating disorder are young females (as reported by NIMH). But despite the fact that younger women have the highest recorded rates of these illnesses, eating disorders are also prevalent in men, older adults, and young children. The stereotype of eating disorders affecting only affluent white women is inaccurate: disorders occur across all ethnic groups and socioeconomic classes.
How are eating disorders treated?
Many treatment plans are comprehensive due to the complex interaction of the emotional, psychological and physical components of eating disorders.
Treatment often involves a combination of interventions including:
-medical monitoring
-individual, group, and/or family therapy
-nutritional counseling
Recovery is usually a long process, and relapse is very common. Adolescents who have recovered from anorexia nervosa have been shown to take as many as five years or more to reach a state of full recovery. Thus, some form of ongoing emotional support is crucial for people with eating disorders and for their loved ones.
Can you die from an eating disorder?
Yes. The mortality rate associated with anorexia nervosa alone has been found to increase with time, and research indicates that at least 5 - 20% of all patients with anorexia nervosa will eventually die from complications of the disorder, including cardiac arrest or suicide. The mortality rate among young women with eating disorders is more than 12 times higher than it is for young women in the general population.
Can athletic kids have eating disorders?
Unfortunately, athletes may actually have very high rates of eating disorders. Girls and boys who participate in competitive sports where body shape and size are factors in performance, including track, dance, wrestling, ice-skating and swimming, may be more at risk for eating disorders than their non-athletic counterparts.
Why won’t my child just go back to eating normally?
It may seem that if your daughter or son would “just eat”, everything would go back to normal. Sadly, eating disorders do not go away that easily. Because they develop for many different reasons, they are actually complex psychological illnesses, thus, recovery involves much more than just the act of eating.
Recovering from eating disorders requires examination of the underlying issues which led to the illness, a process which takes time and patience for everyone involved. Your child must also acquire the motivation to recover and be willing to make the effort to change. This is usually a difficult and scary process because the eating disorder serves a powerful psychological purpose: it distracts from those painful underlying issues, which are so hard to face.
What can I do to make this easier for my child and my family?
First and foremost, you must be sure to take care of yourself. You need to be as healthy and stable as possible to be able to help your child through this. It is also important to be a good eating role model for your child. This means eating three balanced meals a day, not dieting or labeling foods as “good” or “bad”, and not discussing your own personal desire to loose weight or get into shape. It also means not making any negative comments about your body or anyone else’s.
Communication is also valuable. Parents tend to worry that they will say the wrong thing, but it is best to speak up and let your son or daughter know that you have concerns and that you care about their health. It is better to speak up, even if you don’t always know the “right” thing to say. As a parent, the most valuable way to help is to let your child know you’re there to support and love him or her unconditionally.
|
|