NEDA TOOLKIT for Parents
Anorexia is the only serious eating disorder.
When researchers examined the death rates of
individuals with any eating disorder diagnosis who were
being treated as outpatients, they found that bulimia
and EDNOS (now OSFED) had mortality rates that
approached the high rates seen in anorexia nervosa.
During the study, roughly 1 in 20 people with eating
disorders died as a result of their illness. Individuals
who abuse laxatives or diuretics or force themselves to
vomit are at significantly higher risk of sudden death
from heart attacks due to electrolyte imbalances.
Excessive exercise also can increase the risk of death
in individuals with eating disorders by increasing the
amount of stress on the body.
Since I don’t see my loved one engaging in
eating disordered behaviors, I don’t need to
worry about them.
Many eating disorder sufferers go out of their way to
hide symptoms of their illness, either out of shame or
because they are afraid someone will make them stop.
It’s not uncommon for loved ones to be caught off
guard at how severe and pervasive the eating disorder
behaviors are when a diagnosis is made or when people
close to the sufferer become aware they are struggling.
If you are aware a loved one is struggling it is important
to express concern, with empathy and compassion, and
encourage the individual to seek help.
My loved one isn’t ready to recover from their
eating disorder, and there’s nothing I can do
until they are.
Some eating disorder sufferers have difficulty recog
nizing that they are ill or appreciating the severity of
their situation. Still others may desperately want to
stop their behaviors but are afraid. While expressing
a readiness and willingness to recover is a positive
sign, treatment doesn’t need to wait for your loved
one to be ready. If your loved one is under the age
of 18, and even if they aren’t, it is crucial to begin
treatment as soon as you are aware of the problem.
Early intervention is consistently associated with higher
recovery rates. If the individual struggling is an adult,
family and friends should continue to express concerns
about the negative impact of the eating disorder on
their loved one’s life and encourage him/her to seek
professional help.
As a parent, there’s not much I can do to help
my child recover.
Research continues to consistently find the opposite is
true: parental involvement in a child’s eating disorder
treatment can increase chances of recovery. Some
forms of treatment, like Family-Based Treatment (FBT)
(also known as the Maudsley Method), require that
parents temporarily take control of the child’s eating
and monitor for purging until a healthy weight and
regular eating patterns are established. Other loved
ones can continue to provide support to the eating
disorder sufferer by helping to reduce anxiety over
eating and reminding them they are more than their
illness. Even if you decide FBT isn’t right for your family,
there are still plenty of ways for you to be involved in
your child’s or loved one’s treatment.
My family member won’t recover until they
uncover the reason they developed their
eating disorder.
While some people can point to a reason or event
that they believe caused their eating disorder, plenty
of people with eating disorders don’t have a specific
reason. Nor is there any evidence that uncovering the
cause of an eating disorder is correlated with recovery.
Regardless of why someone may have developed
an eating disorder, generally the first priorities of
treatment are to restore normal eating and weight.
If my loved one insists they are fine, I should
believe them.
Problems with accurate self-awareness are one of the
hallmarks of EDs, so your loved one may not have the
self-awareness required to recognize a problem. Thus,
the individual struggling may genuinely believe they are
fine when they are acutely ill. Other people may deny
the presence of an eating disorder even when they
know they are ill because they are afraid of treatment.
Regardless of the reason, it is important to insist on
treatment by a trained mental health professional
and regular medical follow-up with a physician who is
well-versed in eating disorders. (See page 20 for more
information on medical tests.)
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