Kids And Eating Disorder: A Parent’s Roadmap To Healthy Life
Is your child suffering from eating disorders in his teenage years?
If yes, then it’s quite alarming for you to take prompt action to address your child’s overeating and lead them towards a healthy lifestyle. These eating disorders are generally prevalent and can cause serious consequences if left unattended. However, most people misunderstand these disorders as anorexia nervosa and also fail to recognise early signs of overeating or binge eating disorder.
So, being a parent or guardian, you need to have widespread knowledge about eating disorders is crucial for early intervention and prevention.
Methodology Of Diagnosing Eating Disorders
Some stereotypes today indicate that people suffering from eating disability are skinny and malnourished. However, the spectrum of eating disorders is actually beyond these preconceived notions. Living with an overeating disorder can be overwhelming. Individuals may experience a loss of control over their appetite.
Having said that, overeating or binge eating disorders can lead you to emotional, mental and physical turmoil. For example:
- Emotional turmoil like guilt and shame due to food addiction
- Various health complications, such as high blood pressure, obesity, type 2 diabetes and heart disease. including obesity, heart disease, and high blood pressure.
- Mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem
Symptoms Of Overeating Disorders
Awareness of symptoms and types of eating disorders can help you recognise the disorder in its early stage and help you attain treatment timely.
Some of the most common symptoms include frequent episodes of eating large quantities of food, eating rapidly, eating alone due to embarrassment, and feeling distressed or guilty after binge eating.
| Symptoms | Description |
| Frequent overeating | Consuming large quantities of food in a short period and often beyond the point of feeling full. |
| Eating rapidly | Eating fast-paced or sometimes to the point of discomfort or physical pain. |
| Eating alone | Avoid eating in social gatherings due to shame or embarrassment of eating large portions of food |
| Emotional distress | Experiencing guilt, shame, or anxiety after overeating episodes |
Can There Be Biological Reasons For Overeating?
While overeating disorders are complex yet multifaceted, there are biological reasons too that are responsible for eating disorders. For example, one can develop such a disorder due to genetic predispositions, hormonal fluctuations and imbalances in brain chemicals.
Life Beyond The Disorder: Therapies & Treatments
Fortunately, there are effective therapies and treatments available for overeating disorders, offering hope for recovery and improved quality of life.
– Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Cognitive therapy focuses on identifying and challenging negative thoughts and behaviours related to food and body image. It helps target self-confidence, improve self-acceptance, and motivate us to overcome disorders like overeating.
– Interpersonal Therapy
Whereas, interpersonal therapy helps you improve your communication skills by addressing relationship issues that may contribute to emotional turmoil and further lead to disordered eating.
Other options include:
- Dialectical behaviour therapy
- Psychodynamic therapy
- Individual psychotherapy
- Group therapy
The Bottom Line
Overeating disorders or binge eating disorders, are those critical conditions that require understanding, support, and professional assistance around the clock. Using the right approach helps you overcome such alarming challenges and helps your teen or kid to live a fulfilling life. But to seek treatment timely, you need to learn and manage symptoms, and foster understanding & empathy to help your kid or teen lead a healthy life.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Your Teen at Risk for Developing an Eating Disorder?
Although, overeating can affect any individual, children and teenagers are more prone to such disorders due to continued lifestyle changes. Therefore, early intervention is crucial for effective treatment.
Is a medication used to treat overeating disorders?
Medication can be prescribed in some cases, which helps the patient to overcome associated symptoms like anxiety. Such medicinal therapies are considered the primary treatment to approach disorders like binge eating.
Can overeating disorders coexist with other mental health conditions?
Yes, overeating disorders can coexist with mental health conditions like depression, anxiety, and substance abuse disorders. Therefore, it becomes essential to address comorbid conditions and receive comprehensive treatment against disorders.
