37: How Do I Know If My Child Has an Eating Disorder?

Ask Lisa: The Psychology of Raising Tweens & Teens

Dr. Lisa Damour/Reena Ninan

Mental Health, Kids & Family, Health & Fitness, Parenting

4.7 • 824 Ratings

🗓️ 27 April 2021

⏱️ 29 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Experts are finding that the pandemic has led to an alarming rise in eating disorders. Dr. Lisa explains how eating disorders can sneak up on families and why they can be incredibly harmful. Lisa and Reena discuss how social media can contribute to eating disorders and the fact that these illnesses affects people from all genders, economic backgrounds, and races. Early intervention matters, so what are the signs of an eating disorder? How do you talk to kids about eating disorders? And when should you seek help? FOR CHILDREN EVERYWHERE: Eating disorders can be linked to food insecurity. Feeding America can help you find your local food bank to make a donation. https://www.feedingamerica.org/find-your-local-foodbank ADDITIONAL RESOURCES: Lisa’s NYT column: Eating Disorders in Teens Have 'Exploded' in the Pandemic anorexiafamily.com Help for parents of children and teens suffering from anorexia and other eating disorders. feast-ed.org F.E.A.S.T. is an international non-profit organization of and for caregivers of loved ones suffering from eating disorders. nationaleatingdisorders.org NEDA supports individuals and families affected by eating disorders, and serves as a catalyst for prevention, cures and access to quality care. maudsleyparents.org Maudsley Parents was created in 2006 by parents who helped their children recover with family-based treatment, to offer hope and help to other families confronting eating disorders. eatingdisorders.ucsd.edu/resources/ Resources recommended by the Eating Disorders Center for Treatment and Research at University of California, San Diego www.childrenshospital.org/centers-and-services/programs/a-_-e/eating-disorders-program/helpful-links Resources recommended by the Eating Disorders Program at Boston Children’s Hospital https://www.aedweb.org/resources/about-eating-disorders Informational resources developed by the Academy for Eating Disorders https://www.drlisadamour.com/ Ask Lisa is produced by www.GoodTroubleProductions.com Be sure to follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter @AskLisaPodcast, @LDamour, @ReenaNinan See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Transcript

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0:00.0	This is Ask Lisa, a podcast to help people understand the psychology of parenting, now in the midst of a pandemic.
0:12.0	Psychologist Dr. Lisa DeMore, author of two New York Times best-selling parenting books, takes your questions.
0:19.0	And I'm co-host, Rina Ninan, a journalist and mom of two.
0:23.7	Some of what we talk about comes from raising children ourselves. Most of the time, I'll be getting
0:28.5	answers to your parenting questions. So send your questions to Ask Lisa at Dr.Lisademore.com.
0:36.3	Episode 37, How Do I Tell if my child has an eating disorder?
0:45.3	Okay, so you know I've been talking about the struggle to go back to my pre-COVID weight,
0:50.4	drinking lots of water. But it's interesting. We have been getting some letters about children and their relationship with food, and we got this fascinating letter from this mom who says,
1:01.6	I have three teenage daughters.
1:04.0	Obviously in a house with four females, the topic of weight and physical appearance definitely gets brought up.
1:09.1	I grew up with the mother who was on a new diet every Monday
1:12.0	and constantly discussed her weight and dissatisfaction with her body. I've spent the past 18 years
1:17.0	with my girls focusing on healthy eating, never using the D diet or F fat words, staying physically
1:24.0	active and trying to avoid making negative comments about my body. We mostly keep
1:28.6	healthy foods in the house, but also believe in not depriving ourselves of treats. This is generally
1:33.6	worked really well for us until recently. For the past six months or so, my middle daughter,
1:38.2	age 16, has been really trashing her body. She complains constantly about it and goes back
1:43.6	and forth one week eating
1:44.9	almost nothing and constantly working out to the next week of eating everything inside and spending
1:49.8	all day on the couch. Three of her closest friends have developed eating disorders this year and are
1:55.1	receiving a lot of praise from their group for how great and skinny they look. I've broached the topic with her numerous
2:01.9	times without past drink too much, but I'm not sure exactly how and what I should be doing.
	...

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