What eating disorders can develop in children?
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RealAge answered:The first is anorexia nervosa, a severe, life-threatening eating disorder. What to watch out for: Sufferers are at least 15 percent below normal weight, are terrified of gaining an ounce, and obsess about their body shape and size. One in ten people who battle anorexia die from severe weight loss, a weakened heart, or suicide. Survivors may suffer bone loss, infertility, and many other serious consequences.
The other major eating disorder is bulimia nervosa. It’s more common than anorexia but harder to detect because most sufferers aren’t underweight. Binge eating is followed by self induced vomiting or other purging methods, often brought on by laxatives, diuretics, fasting, or excessive exercise, all used to avoid weight gain.
Millions of Americans suffer from binge eating, consuming eight thousand to ten thousand calories in a sitting. Fortunately, bulimia is rarely fatal, but it can cause tooth decay, hair loss, esophageal ruptures, and, in rare circumstances, cardiac arrest (especially when diuretic drugs or laxatives are involved). Left untreated, bulimia can lead to even more severe eating disorders.
From The Smart Parent's Guide: Getting Your Kids Through Checkups, Illnesses, and Accidents by Jennifer Trachtenberg.
Find out more about this book: The Smart Parent's Guide: Getting Your Kids Through Checkups, Illnesses, an...
The first is anorexia nervosa, a severe, life-threatening eating disorder. What to watch out for: Sufferers are at least 15 percent below normal weight, are terrified of gaining an ounce, and obsess about their body shape and size. One in ten people... More -
Any eating disorder can develop in children. Eating disorders are non-discriminating, and can develop at any time in life and for many reasons. Often a child will mimic a parent’s food behaviors. If a parent has an eating disorder and/or expresses dissatisfaction with his or her appearance or body weight, it can negatively affect a child’s perception of his or her own body weight.
The three main types of eating disorders are:
- Anorexia, a condition in which a child refuses to eat adequate calories out of an intense and irrational fear of becoming fat
- Bulimia, a condition in which a child grossly overeats (binging) and then purges the food by vomiting or using laxatives to prevent weight gain
- Binge eating, a condition in which a child may gorge rapidly on food, but without purging
In children and teens, eating disorders can overlap. For example, some children alternate between periods of anorexia and bulimia.
Most eating disorders develop during adolescence; however they can also start in childhood. Children as young as 5 or 6 have been diagnosed with eating disorders; it is uncommon but can happen. Females are much more vulnerable. An estimated 5% to 15% of people with anorexia or bulimia are male. With binge eating, the number rises to 40% male.
Any eating disorder can develop in children. Eating disorders are non-discriminating, and can develop at any time in life and for many reasons. Often a child will mimic a parent’s food behaviors. If a parent has an eating disorder and/or... More
