Bermuda Parent Bermuda Parent Spring 2016 | Page 38

tweens & teens
BY CHRISTINA KATZ
Could This Be Bulimia?
7 Telltale Signals You Don’t Want To Miss
If you know the facts about an eating disorder
called Bulimia nervosa, then you know that
as a parent you should calmly and quietly
pay closer attention to your child’s behavior
around eating and dieting. Studies indicate
that by their first year of college, 4.5 to 18
percent of women and 0.4 percent of men
have a history of Bulimia. In the United States,
5 to 10 million adolescent girls and women
struggle with eating disorders and borderline
eating conditions. According to The Center
For Mental Health Services, 90 percent of
those who have eating disorders are women
between the ages of 12 and 25.
Bulimic behavior means binge eating and then at-
tempting to rid the body of the food by purging (forc-
ing yourself to throw up), by taking laxatives or diuret-
ics, by fasting, or by compulsively exercising. Children
who are overly concerned about their weight may take
diet pills, smoke cigarettes, drink excessive amounts
of diet soda, take stimulants, or try anything else that
promises appetite suppression or rapid weight loss.
If you are wondering if your child is overly fo-
cused on body image and weight, and might be at risk
for Bulimia nervosa, watch for these seven signals:
1
Large amounts of foods consumed in short
amounts of time. Food disappears suddenly from
your kitchen or pantry. Packaging and wrappers ap-
pear in indoor or outdoor trash and recycling contain-
ers without your awareness that food was eaten. You
find food packaging or wrappers in funny places, such
as in bedroom closets or hidden under or behind
furniture after you’ve noticed food missing.
2
Purging behaviors. Your child retreats to a
remote bathroom right after meals. You discover
diet pills in your daughter’s purse or diuretics in your
son’s sports bag. You find evidence of vomiting in the
bathroom although no one in the house is sick. You
notice bloodshot eyes or broken blood vessels in your
child’s face shortly after mealtime.
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