Check out our blog for latest news and findings regarding eating disorders, including possible causes and cures, ways to support suffers through their recovery, and stories from survivors about their experiences.

Friday, October 22, 2010

Childs Body Image Can Trigger Eating Disorder

According to the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders, more than 60 percent of elementary and middle school teachers say eating disorders are a problem in their schools.

The average age for the onset of anorexia is now between 9- and 12-years-old; it used to be between 13- and 17-years old.

Chicago Tribune writer Heidi Stevens addressed this issue:

If you sense a body image problem [in your child], [clinical psychologist Brian] Alman recommends initiating a conversation – don't wait for your child to bring it up. And start positive. "Talk about what’s right about your child," he says.

"What's right about your body, what's right about your ways of dealing with friends, school. That way the kid feels loved and accepted.'"

Alman also advised being open and honest with your children about past struggles you had with body image or peer pressure to look a certain way, Stevens reported. Sharing your own experiences can help your children feel more comfortable sharing theirs, he said.

Labels: body image, children, peer pressure

Posted By: Aspen/CRC

Comments:

Chelsea on 1/20/2011
It's frightening to see more and more articles about how the age of girls diagnosed with eating disorders keeps getting lower. However, it's understandable, as we continue to live in a diet obsessed society that - ironically - grows larger in average body size.