As a parent, it can be difficult and frustrating to see your child struggle with an eating disorder. You may be feeling stressed and confused as it can be tricky to navigate such a situation. Sometimes, parents also find it difficult to reach out to their children and offer help for the fear of causing tension.
Some parents feel guilty as they wrongly believe that they’re to fault for their children’s eating disorder. While it may lead to feelings of despair, know that eating disorders are common and there is help available.
Read on to understand what an eating disorder is, its types, and how we can use EMDR for eating disorder treatment.
Understanding an Eating Disorder
An eating disorder is a serious mental health condition characterized by unhealthy and disruptive eating habits. It’s not about missing some meals or losing some weight, these are complicated mental illnesses that can have a huge negative impact emotionally, physically, and socially.
People with eating disorders are often preoccupied with how they look, their weight, and the shape of their body.
While more females report symptoms of eating disorders, anyone can develop it, regardless of gender, age, or background.
Types of Eating Disorders
The three main types of eating disorders include:
Anorexia nervosa
Anorexia nervosa, often referred to as anorexia, is an eating disorder in which people restrict their food intake which often leads to significant weight loss or failure to gain weight. People with anorexia have a distorted body image and an irrational fear of gaining weight.
In an attempt to remain underweight, people with anorexia may starve themselves, exercise intensely, eat sparingly, and use vomiting or laxatives to purge food.
Anorexia usually develops during adolescence.
Bulimia nervosa
Bulimia nervosa, simply called bulimia, is a disorder characterized by episodes of binging on food. People who suffer from bulimia frequently eat a large amount of food in a short period of time. Later, they try to purge the food to get relief from the discomfort and compensate for the calories consumed.
The compensatory purging behaviors may include forced vomiting, fasting, use of laxatives and diuretics, and intense exercise.
However, people with bulimia are often not underweight, unlike those suffering from anorexia.
Binge eating disorder
Binge eating disorder is one of the most common eating disorders.
The symptoms of this disorder are similar to those of bulimia. For example, individuals suffering from bulimia will often eat excessively large amounts of food in a short duration. They often report a lack of control during these binges.
People with this disorder also go through feelings of shame and guilt after a binge eating episode..
The one difference between bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder is that people with bulimia do not engage in purging behaviors or try to restrict their caloric intake. This causes them to become overweight or obese, which may further increase their risk of developing heart disease and diabetes.
Recognizing an Eating Disorder in Your Teen
Eating disorders are very common among adolescents and teenagers. According to research, children between the ages 13 and 15 are the ones most commonly diagnosed with anorexia. Thus, you should be on the lookout for symptoms of eating disorders so that you may get your child timely help.
If you notice the following symptoms in your teen, they may be suffering from an eating disorder:
- Distorted body image
- Frequently skipping meals
- Checking their weight often
- Sudden or extreme change in weight
- Unusual eating habits
- An intense fear of weight gain
- Overeating and feeling a lack of control over their eating
- Excessive exercise
- Purging behavior
- Eating in secret
- Avoiding plans with family or friends that involve food
- Playing with food instead of eating
- Consuming large amounts of food in one sitting
These warning signs should not be ignored. If you suspect that your teen may be suffering from an eating disorder, talk to your general physician about your concerns and they may refer your teen to a mental health specialist.
Using EMDR for Eating Disorder Treatment
On the surface, eating disorders described above may look like food-related problems.
However, that is not the case. Eating disorders usually have psychological underpinnings. In many cases, unresolved trauma is what leads to the development of an eating disorder.
When someone has suffered trauma such as emotional or physical abuse, they may try to cope with the resulting emotions or feelings through their disruptive eating patterns.
If left untreated, eating disorders do not resolve themselves on their own.
Fortunately, there are certain trauma-focused treatments available that can help resolve the trauma experienced by a teen and overcome their eating disorder while at the same time allowing them to develop a healthy, positive relationship with food.
One of the most popular treatments available for trauma is Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy. EMDR is an evidence-based psychotherapy which can help your teen process traumatic memories and experiences, and allow them to heal from the trauma. It can also reduce distress associated with a negative body image.
EMDR therapy makes the use of something called bilateral stimulation. Basically, in a therapy session, your teen would be asked to recall a disturbing memory or event while they focus on the therapist’s hand movement.
This will allow them to process the memory or event in an objective way.
Post-treatment, patients report a reduced compulsion to engage in disruptive eating habits and are able to use healthier coping skills learned during the treatment.
Helping Your Teen With an Eating Disorder
It can be hard to watch your beloved child suffer from an eating disorder. While getting professional help is the best thing you can do to aid them in their recovery, you can also show support in other ways.
Always try to communicate with your teen. Try to understand where they are coming from and open up about your feelings as well. Be careful about the language you use since food is a very sensitive topic for them.
Shouting or screaming or forcing them to eat/not eat will never help.
You can also spend some time learning more about the disorder through books or online videos. This will help you empathize with and understand your teen better.
Lastly, show support and encouragement throughout their treatment. Overcoming an eating disorder is a long journey. Try to be as patient and kind towards them as you can be during this journey.
If your loved one is suffering from an eating disorder, take the first step today in helping them get on the path to recovery.
Book a consultation call with me here to know how EMDR can be an effective treatment for your child’s condition and get all your questions answered.