Eating disorders are conditions which mainly manifest through unhealthy nutrition, taking place for various reasons and manifesting through many different actions. Namely, even though most of us are quite conscious of our body weight, doing our best to maintain it and control it, some people use extreme, self-harming measures for these purposes. Thus, eating disorders commonly lead to health deterioration and, if left untreated, death.
Eating Disorders the Real Problem
About 50% of girls between 12 and 15 pay close attention to their body weight and the body weight of others. Most of these individuals are not satisfied with their weight and believe that they should undergo diets. We can blame the popular culture, the TV and many other social factors for glorifying solely body figures which are skinny, leading to an increase in eating disorders.
Also, famous people, when appearing on the screens or front pages of newspapers, often are modified digitally, so that their extra pounds or physical flaws are non-existent. Thus, this air brushing lie results in many teenagers wanting to achieve the same effect, but realistically, being prone to developing eating disorders.
People with eating disorders may go on harsh diets, undergo purging or exercise excessively. All of these actions may be dangerous for their health.
Therefore, listen to your child and pay attention to his/her behavior. If you do not think that your child is overweight and he/she refuses to believe you, claiming the opposite ask him/her to tell you the reasons behind this attitude. Alternatively, schedule an appointment with a professional nutritionist in order to have the child hear the diagnosis and the necessary steps from a professional.
Many times, regular exercising and a healthy nutrition are more than enough for achieving ideal body weight, without developing any eating disorders.
Treatments for Eating Disorders
Psychotherapy is bound to be helpful for all those who suffer from eating disorders. Some variants of this approach will be listed below.
Cognitive behavioral therapy, for example, helps people with eating disorders notice their unhealthy patterns of thoughts, replacing them with healthier ones and curing themselves this way.
Interpersonal Psychotherapy is yet another approach which involves revealing the eating disorder problem and working on solving it openly and wholeheartedly.
Alternatively, people with eating disorders can benefit greatly from dialectical behavioral therapy, especially if the sufferer is prone to self-harming. It helps these people detect their wrongdoings and change these actions for better ones, reflecting the whole situation through social norms.
Finally, people with eating disorders may undergo psychotherapy together with their entire families, solving their problems through communication, support and other types of behavioral management.
Nutritional counseling, medical treatment and pharmacology may help as well.
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