disorder also have an anxiety disorder or struggle with depression.
Treatment of an Eating Disorder
If you think your child has an eating disorder, consult your child’s physician or pediatrician. Both anorexia and bulimia affect the heart, either by starvation or electrolyte abnormalities, which can be fatal. If the physician diagnoses an eating disorder, request a referral to a specialized pediatric eating disorder treatment program. The first line of treatment for an eating disorder in childhood is Family Based Treatment for an Eating Disorder. This treatment approach will provide you as parents with the supports needed to “re-feed” your child. If this approach is not successful, hospitalization may be considered. Treatment first focuses on normalization of eating and activity level, as, the sooner you make these changes the more likely your child will recover from the eating disorder. Once the behaviors are improved, psychological interventions will be introduced to address the overemphasis on weight and shape, as well as self-worth. The good news: children and youth who receive treatment for their eating disorder early, while still in their parent’s care, recover more quickly from their eating disorder than those whose treatment does not occur until they are adults. It is believed that this is due to the fact that weight restoration, which can be done more quickly when people are younger, allows the person to face their fears of a healthy body weight more quickly, reducing the number of years the disorder can be entrenched. This article was written by Dr. Sherry Van Blyderveen, Clinical and Counselling Psychologist with New Leaf Psychology Centre. Dr. Van Blyderveen previously worked as a psychologist with McMaster Children’s Hospital’s Pediatric Eating Disorders Program, and is currently the Program Director of the Eating Disorders Program at Homewood Health Centre in Guelph. www.newleafpsychology.ca Also on Facebook and Twitter The main reference for this article is Help Your Daughter Beat an Eating Disorder (Locke & le Grange). For additional readings visit http://newleafpsychology.ca/ resources/suggested-reading-list/eating-disorders-andbody-image/