How to Know if Your Child has an Eating DisorderThe rate of eating disorders among children under 12 has increased by 119% since 2020. Anorexia is the third most common chronic disorder among kids, behind asthma and obesity. Pediatrician Cindy…
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November 21, 2022
Diet and Nutrition
Kids Health
Mental Health Eating disorders have been around for a very long time, but they have skyrocketed in recent years. A recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that emergency room visits for mental health issues have increased at an alarming rate for kids aged 5 and up just since 2020. This is not just for anxiety and depression, but it seems that eating disorders are also increasing, especially among teen girls. Why? Researchers who are studying the trends think that lack of structure in the daily routines of teens, emotional distress, and even fluctuations in whether families had food available or not, all contributed to the increase. Eating disorders can develop at any time, but we see it most often in teens and more likely to be girls than boys. The National Eating Disorders Association reports that the rate of eating disorders has risen by 119% in kids under 12 just in the last few years, and anorexia is now the third most common chronic illness in teens only behind asthma and obesity. Kids who are predisposed to anxiety, such as having a strong family history of anxiety or depression, seem to be more prone to eating disorders. Some clinical studies by psychologists also indicate that teens who spend more time on social media may be more at risk because they can exacerbate poor body image and constantly bombard kids with diet trends, and those can trigger eating disorders. Teens with eating disorders often compare their bodies to peers and can feel bad about themselves if they don't have what they believe to be the perfect body. So what are some signs to look out for if you think that your child may be at risk for an eating disorder? Well, look for behavioral changes. Kids, when they are struggling with body image issues, will often isolate themselves, withdrawal from social activities or seem overly sad or angry. Some big behavior changes that parents should watch out for according to the National Alliance for Eating Disorders is hiding food, eating in secret, starting a new diet, obsessing over physical activity, or going to the bathroom every time after eating a meal. The first step, if you think your child might have an eating disorder, is to make an appointment with your child's pediatrician. We can check their height, weight, and body mass index and look for any alarming trends. If there are concerns, we can do labs and possibly an EKG. If the labs and EKG are reassuring, then the next step is to get a psychiatrist involved. If the labs or EKG are not okay, then your child may be admitted to the hospital to medically stabilize them while they start working on treatment options for their eating disorder. A psychiatrist needs to be involved because these are brain-based illnesses with biological, psychological, and social components, not just something your child chooses to do usually. Parents need to educate themselves too. Some good resources are the National Eating Disorder Association, Project HEAL, and the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders, also FEAST. Your child needs their feelings and struggles supported, and with the stigma of shame around eating disorders that can make the problem worse. This is a disease that affects entire families. There is help out there. Your pediatrician is the first place to start. But be aware this is not something your pediatrician will manage. It involves a lot of therapy and work with a mental health provider.
The rate of eating disorders among children under 12 has increased by 119% since 2020, making anorexia the third most common chronic disorder among kids behind asthma and obesity. Learn what could be causing this increase and how to identify the most common red flags of potential eating disorders. As well as what steps can be taken to help get your child the help they need. |
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Anorexia: More than A Bad Relationship with FoodOne out of 100 women have struggled with anorexia at some point in their life. Anorexia is a mental illnesses, and the physical effects are the symptoms. Dr. Jason Hunziker talks about the eating…
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April 07, 2014
Diet and Nutrition Interviewer: Anorexia is an eating disorder that is more common than you would think. One out of a hundred women has struggled with anorexia at some point in their life. Has anorexia associated with mental illness? We'll find out next on The Scope. Announcer: Medical news and research from University of Utah physicians and specialists you can use. For a happier and healthier life. You're listening to The Scope. Interviewer: We're talking with Dr. Jason Hunziker Psychiatrist at the University of Utah. Dr. Hunziker, how is anorexia related to mental illness? Dr. Jason Hunziker: So anorexia is an eating disorder that often has fatal consequences. The disorder itself is a disorder of people who generally will restrict the intake of food to the point that it causes significant organ damage and eventually death. The way it's related to mental illness, is that often people who struggle with anorexia, have other mental illnesses that come along with that. Interviewer: Wow that's interesting. Dr. Jason Hunziker: They'll exercise until they pass out on the treadmill, just to get thin. And that anxiety and that perfectionist behavior leads to more and more depression, more and more anxiety. Which then, ultimately sometimes, unfortunately, these patients get to the point that they want to kill themselves. Interviewer: So bringing it back to the beginning, where does it all start? Like it's got to start from somewhere, right? In their teens... Dr. Jason Hunziker: That's a good, that's a really good question. Often patients with anorexia have learned this from their environment. It's, there's really no good evidence of where exactly the anorexia comes from and why one person has anorexia and yet their sister doesn't. But what we do know is that there's a strong family history often in people with anorexia. Interviewer: So is it safe to say that maybe the root of the problem with anorexia comes from maybe... cultural norms? Dr. Jason Hunziker: It comes from cultural norms, it comes from... we see it in things like ballet classes and gymnastics and cheerleading, in those environments where weight is put as a high priority. We also see it in young kids who have been very anxious their whole life. And so they worry that they're going to be different or look different or feel different, and so they change themselves or attempt to change themselves in the way they think. Interviewer: When you see somebody with anorexia, you can kind of tell a little bit, can't you? But, are there other signs or symptoms that you kind of you look, and you might wonder. Dr. Jason Hunziker: Things that you can find or see with that is that if you notice dramatic weight changes, if you notice that your significant other or your sibling or your girlfriend or boyfriend or whoever, is moving food around on the plate but doesn't really seem to eat it. Or is more interested in cooking these fantastic meals but you never really see them eating anything. Or right after meals, they're spending all this time in the bathroom. Or you start to notice laxative boxes in the garbage cans or those types of things, then you'll have those suspicions. They also tend to wear big baggy clothes to kind of hide their body. Interviewer: But you're aware that you're thin, why would you want to hide it? Dr. Jason Hunziker: Yeah that's a really good question and that's kind of the conflict is, they're not aware that they're thin. They feel like they're not thin enough. Interviewer: What are some of the long term effects then? Because obviously we know that the short term effects is just weight and maybe depression... Dr. Jason Hunziker: Depression, anxiety are really short term problems. But addiction becomes a problem. They'll start taking caffeine tablets and that'll advance to stimulants and then they're using all types of things to try to suppress their appetite, so that they can lose weight. Bone density problems are a big issue. They lose a lot of bone mass and they end up with fractures and broken hips at 25 years old because they just don't have the right bone structure. Heart problems because of changes in electrolyte balances. A lot of young women end up having heart attacks and other heart abnormalities because of the loss of nutrients. Interviewer: Can this be treated? Dr. Jason Hunziker: Definitely. The treatment is actually what they call re-feeding. Interviewer: Okay. Dr. Jason Hunziker: And so we have to give people the nutrition to get their brain functioning at a level that's high enough to actually engage in treatment. After you get them to the point that they're a little healthier, they have weight coming back, we do a lot of intensive therapy which has shown to be the most effective way to help people with anorexia. We examine their relationship with food and what it is about the food, and their thoughts about body and image and try to deflect away from weight, but some more focused on being healthy. How do we be healthy with who we are, and we often treat depression, that's associated with this. We treat the anxiety that's associated with this. We'll treat family issues that's clearly associated with this. So that everything is looked at as one big unit that we can focus on to help this person get well. Interviewer: If the person doesn't want to get treated or they just don't come in for treatment, can that anorexia be something that is life threatening? Dr. Jason Hunziker: Definitely, and that's usually the unfortunate part of this is that some people end up taking their own life because they get so despondent at the fact that they can't reach that goal that they've set for themselves, that they just get overwhelmed and end up harming themselves. Others unintentionally harm themselves by taking all those other supplements or stimulants or whatever else, that actually unintentionally overdose themselves. The bodies just shut down, unfortunately, with a lot of these patients. They end up being so malnourished that they just, is incompatible with life and their bodies just give up. Interviewer: Any final thoughts? Dr. Jason Hunziker: My final thought is I think we need to recognize this immediately. We need to provide support and not be accusatory or... Interviewer: Don't be the police. Dr. Jason Hunziker: Exactly. Don't make them guilty, don't be forcing food down, in their face because that's not going to help. Getting them to a professional, getting them to a therapist, there's eating disorder clinics available. If it's severe enough they need to be hospitalized and then start treatment. And just be understanding because this is a life long process that they're going to struggle with. Announcer: We're your daily dose of science, conversation, medicine, this is The Scope. University of Utah Health Sciences Radio. |