Health Related Problems Related To Eating Disorders

There are a number of recurring signs and symptoms commonly exhibited by a young people with an eating disorder. Knowing what to look for can provide parents with an early warning and enable them to get involved appropriately at an early stage in the condition's development.

Eating disorders commonly develop from around the age of 14, a time when most of the children are naturally and steadily becoming more independent. However, that normal process of maturing does give rise to a convergence of potential triggers, both practical and psychological on the one hand, a greater desire for self-determination and less parental supervision and direction; and, on the other, a decrease in time spent in adults' company and in parents' control over what their child chooses to eat.

Most of the parents will testify that this developmental phase is characterized by moments of conflict interspersed with periods in which the child appears more distant and unmotivated by systems of reward or sanction they may have respected hitherto. Such strains on the parent-child relationship are testing but no reason for alarm in themselves. However, parental concerns become exacerbated because it can often be quite difficult to accurately assess whether changes in the child's behaviour are the result of this normal teenage development or whether they indicate an eating disorder.

At its root, an eating disorder is about neither food nor body weight. Eating disorders develop when a person is unable to cope with difficult emotions and feelings and becomes dependent upon food as a means of controlling their mood. The two main types are bulimia and anorexia. Characteristically, anorexia sufferers severely restrict their food intake in order to lose body weight. Yet their self-perception is altered such that they believe themselves to be obese and become profoundly and irrationally fearful of putting on weight. Bulimia sufferers typically indulge in binge eating, consuming large amount of food in a short period of time, before deliberately inducing vomiting so that the body does not absorb the food. The usual age for the onset of bulimia is 18.

Changes of mood and temper may characterise the behaviour of any teenager. An eating disorder is likely to have a more marked effect, the child becoming more secretive and withdrawn, the mood swings more sudden. Parents should remember that eating disorders are complex conditions, expressed in emotions, behaviour and in a physical impact on the sufferer's body. Taken together, the presence of a combination of such physical, behavioural and psychological symptoms give parents a strong indication as to whether they have cause for concern. Physical signs of anorexia may include sudden weight loss, dizziness, difficulty sleeping, stomach pains, feeling cold and constipation. Additional behavioural signs that may indicate anorexia are frequent wearing of baggy clothes to disguise weight loss, indirectness about eating habits, over-exercise and difficulty in concentrating.

A secretive and distant manner would be a further indication that there may be cause for concern. Bulimia sufferers typically exhibit some of the same symptoms, such as sleeping difficulties, stomach pain, constipation, mood swings, secretive behaviour and irregular periods in girls. Additionally, they may have physical issues such as mouth infections, sore throat and sensitive or damaged teeth.

• John Palsson
• 10/12/2008, 4:59 AM
• 0 Comments