Could this be an Emerging Eating Disorder?
Early intervention information for parents and teachers
Pete and Maureen's daughter Mary-Anne had always been very busy with sports, leadership at school, and an active social life. Because of this, it was not out of the ordinary for her to be running late for breakfast or unable to meet with the family at dinnertime. Recently though, Mary-Anne had been absent more often from meal and snack times at home, and always had an excuse to avoid eating with others. Mary-Anne would say that she’d already eaten or was eating at a friend’s, or wasn’t hungry which was a marked change from her usual healthy appetite. Is this the beginnings of an eating disorder?
Sandra had always perceived herself as overweight and out of proportion as a child. Therefore, when she joined the gym with a few friends after a school health class, she started “eating healthy” in order to lose weight. Sandra’s parents were supportive, however became more and more wary as trying to eat more fruit came with cutting out more and more foods; carbohydrates became ‘fattening’, and needed to be avoided, anything fried or full fat was banned, all meat was viewed as ‘too fatty’ and Sandra cooked her own meals rather than join the family for her favourite take-away. Most recently Sandra announced her decision to become a vegan. Could this be an eating disorder?
The Burton’s had noticed their daughter Anne-Louise was spending a lot of time in front of the mirror, complaining out loud about how “fat” she was, however because she ate regularly they weren’t too worried. The Burton’s noticed large amounts of food going missing, however put it down to the growth spurts of their 3 teenagers. Recently though, the Burton’s had noticed a Anne-Louise eating late in the night and spending significant time in the toilet after meals. Anne-Louse became irate and told them to mind their own business when they raised these behaviours and their concerns with her. Is this an eating disorder?
Do any of these stories remind you of your adolescent or an adolescent you know? Eating disorders are sneaky, complex illnesses that often first show up as just a few symptoms. Even trickier is the fact that these early symptoms can look a lot like “typical adolescent behavior” (e.g. negative body image, dieting, moodiness) and so, can fly under the radar for a while. The truth is, these symptoms can be quite serious. What’s more, as these symptoms grow quickly in intensity and number, the resulting disorder can be very difficult to address and quite harmful to your child.
Early intervention is a program is designed to help families of adolescents with eating disorder symptoms address these early warning signs, and to prevent a more serious eating disorder from developing. The program aims to provide both information and help for parents of adolescents who were showing early signs of disordered eating. Many parents feel nervous when they see their adolescent beginning a “diet” or when they see other habits emerge in their adolescent, such as following strict rules about eating, rigid exercise patterns, binge eating, secret eating, or the use of diet pills. Though they're right to be concerned, it's often difficult for parents to know what the appropriate next steps are - or if they should be taking next steps at all.
Eating disorders affect many adolescents, and the vast majority of adults with eating disorders report that their eating problems started when they were an adolescent. However, often help is not sought early enough. Sometimes these behaviors are ignored, or dismissed as “a phase” or a typical part of adolescence. This is a mistake- these types of symptoms aren't typical and they shouldn't be dismissed. Parents can work with their adolescent to stop these unhealthy patterns before they develop into something more serious. The approach emphasizes the importance of parents in helping their adolescents stay healthy, while aiming to get adolescents back on track with normal development as soon as possible.
· Has your adolescent recently changed their eating habits? Are they dieting, cutting out “unhealthy” foods, or otherwise restricting their eating in a way that seems unusual?
· Has your adolescent been skipping meals, or avoiding eating with the family?
· Has your adolescent developed odd eating habits or routines that seem out-of-the-ordinary to you?
· Does your adolescent seem overly concerned about how much they weigh, or what their body looks like?
· Has your adolescent ever had an episode of binge eating, where they felt like they lost control over their eating, and couldn’t have stopped themselves?
· Have you noticed large amounts of food missing, and think your adolescent might be eating in secret?
· Has your adolescent ever “purged”- either by inducing vomiting, taking laxatives, diuretics or diet pill, or by abusing prescription medications with weight loss side effects (e.g. ADHD medications)? Do you SUSPECT they might have done so?
· Has your adolescent changed their exercise habits in a way that seems unhealthy- exercising in a way that seems “driven” or exceptionally intense, exercising instead of doing other things (hobbies, hanging out with friends etc.), or exercising despite being sick?
· Is your adolescent exhibiting any other behaviors around food, eating, or body image that seem unusual or out of character?
If your answer to any of these questions was yes, or, even if your answer to any of these questions was maybe, the early intervention program might be right for you. The program is designed for teenagers, ages 12-17, who are starting to show some signs of eating disorders as well as for their caregivers and siblings.
A lot of times parents are quick to downplay what might be early signs of a developing eating disorder- shrugging off their child’s odd eating habits or body image concerns a “typical adolescent behavior”. This can be a mistake; eating disorders usually start small and grow exponentially within a short time. Intervening early, before it seems like there’s a “real problem” is the best way to effectively prevent anything from getting worse. Even if you think you might be overreacting, it makes sense to make contact, so we can evaluate your adolescent further, and give you a better idea of what might be going on.
The program is designed to allow your entire family to participate. For at least 8 weeks you will be supported address the early signs of eating disorders, and prevent these symptoms from developing into full-blown anorexia or bulimia. The program includes:
· Three in-depth assessments of your teenager’s eating disorder and general psychological symptoms
· 8+ weekly sessions of interactive content based on the empirically-validated Maudsley (also known as Family Based Treatment, or FBT) therapy and designed to help families eliminate early symptoms of eating disorders.
Pete and Maureen's daughter Mary-Anne had always been very busy with sports, leadership at school, and an active social life. Because of this, it was not out of the ordinary for her to be running late for breakfast or unable to meet with the family at dinnertime. Recently though, Mary-Anne had been absent more often from meal and snack times at home, and always had an excuse to avoid eating with others. Mary-Anne would say that she’d already eaten or was eating at a friend’s, or wasn’t hungry which was a marked change from her usual healthy appetite. Is this the beginnings of an eating disorder?
Sandra had always perceived herself as overweight and out of proportion as a child. Therefore, when she joined the gym with a few friends after a school health class, she started “eating healthy” in order to lose weight. Sandra’s parents were supportive, however became more and more wary as trying to eat more fruit came with cutting out more and more foods; carbohydrates became ‘fattening’, and needed to be avoided, anything fried or full fat was banned, all meat was viewed as ‘too fatty’ and Sandra cooked her own meals rather than join the family for her favourite take-away. Most recently Sandra announced her decision to become a vegan. Could this be an eating disorder?
The Burton’s had noticed their daughter Anne-Louise was spending a lot of time in front of the mirror, complaining out loud about how “fat” she was, however because she ate regularly they weren’t too worried. The Burton’s noticed large amounts of food going missing, however put it down to the growth spurts of their 3 teenagers. Recently though, the Burton’s had noticed a Anne-Louise eating late in the night and spending significant time in the toilet after meals. Anne-Louse became irate and told them to mind their own business when they raised these behaviours and their concerns with her. Is this an eating disorder?
Do any of these stories remind you of your adolescent or an adolescent you know? Eating disorders are sneaky, complex illnesses that often first show up as just a few symptoms. Even trickier is the fact that these early symptoms can look a lot like “typical adolescent behavior” (e.g. negative body image, dieting, moodiness) and so, can fly under the radar for a while. The truth is, these symptoms can be quite serious. What’s more, as these symptoms grow quickly in intensity and number, the resulting disorder can be very difficult to address and quite harmful to your child.
Early intervention is a program is designed to help families of adolescents with eating disorder symptoms address these early warning signs, and to prevent a more serious eating disorder from developing. The program aims to provide both information and help for parents of adolescents who were showing early signs of disordered eating. Many parents feel nervous when they see their adolescent beginning a “diet” or when they see other habits emerge in their adolescent, such as following strict rules about eating, rigid exercise patterns, binge eating, secret eating, or the use of diet pills. Though they're right to be concerned, it's often difficult for parents to know what the appropriate next steps are - or if they should be taking next steps at all.
Eating disorders affect many adolescents, and the vast majority of adults with eating disorders report that their eating problems started when they were an adolescent. However, often help is not sought early enough. Sometimes these behaviors are ignored, or dismissed as “a phase” or a typical part of adolescence. This is a mistake- these types of symptoms aren't typical and they shouldn't be dismissed. Parents can work with their adolescent to stop these unhealthy patterns before they develop into something more serious. The approach emphasizes the importance of parents in helping their adolescents stay healthy, while aiming to get adolescents back on track with normal development as soon as possible.
· Has your adolescent recently changed their eating habits? Are they dieting, cutting out “unhealthy” foods, or otherwise restricting their eating in a way that seems unusual?
· Has your adolescent been skipping meals, or avoiding eating with the family?
· Has your adolescent developed odd eating habits or routines that seem out-of-the-ordinary to you?
· Does your adolescent seem overly concerned about how much they weigh, or what their body looks like?
· Has your adolescent ever had an episode of binge eating, where they felt like they lost control over their eating, and couldn’t have stopped themselves?
· Have you noticed large amounts of food missing, and think your adolescent might be eating in secret?
· Has your adolescent ever “purged”- either by inducing vomiting, taking laxatives, diuretics or diet pill, or by abusing prescription medications with weight loss side effects (e.g. ADHD medications)? Do you SUSPECT they might have done so?
· Has your adolescent changed their exercise habits in a way that seems unhealthy- exercising in a way that seems “driven” or exceptionally intense, exercising instead of doing other things (hobbies, hanging out with friends etc.), or exercising despite being sick?
· Is your adolescent exhibiting any other behaviors around food, eating, or body image that seem unusual or out of character?
If your answer to any of these questions was yes, or, even if your answer to any of these questions was maybe, the early intervention program might be right for you. The program is designed for teenagers, ages 12-17, who are starting to show some signs of eating disorders as well as for their caregivers and siblings.
A lot of times parents are quick to downplay what might be early signs of a developing eating disorder- shrugging off their child’s odd eating habits or body image concerns a “typical adolescent behavior”. This can be a mistake; eating disorders usually start small and grow exponentially within a short time. Intervening early, before it seems like there’s a “real problem” is the best way to effectively prevent anything from getting worse. Even if you think you might be overreacting, it makes sense to make contact, so we can evaluate your adolescent further, and give you a better idea of what might be going on.
The program is designed to allow your entire family to participate. For at least 8 weeks you will be supported address the early signs of eating disorders, and prevent these symptoms from developing into full-blown anorexia or bulimia. The program includes:
· Three in-depth assessments of your teenager’s eating disorder and general psychological symptoms
· 8+ weekly sessions of interactive content based on the empirically-validated Maudsley (also known as Family Based Treatment, or FBT) therapy and designed to help families eliminate early symptoms of eating disorders.
