A British teenager who is attempting to raise money for her sister's care has opened up about the effect that eating disorders can have on the entire family.

In an article that appeared in the March 10 edition of the Free Press, Nicole Ball described how she was affected by watching her sister, Kristy, struggle: with anorexia and bulimia:
"It wasn't until I was 12 that I began to understand what her disorder involved.

"When Kirsty and I were alone together -- that's when I could see it happening. She would eat more than she should and then throw it up."

Although Nicole was too young to understand what was happening to Kirsty, she began to pick up on her habits.

Nicole said: "Because she didnt eat in front of people, I wouldnt eat in front of anybody except my family and I found it strange to eat for a while."

Kristy Ball, who suffers from brain damage as a result of a 2005 drug overdose, now resides in Llanhennock Lodge Cheshire Home, a comprehensive care facility.

Labels: siblings, family

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As a student at the University of Georgia (UGA), Jilian McLendon's desire to stay slim devolved from a focus on health to the development of anorexia.

But unlike many students who are unable or unwilling to get the treatment they need, McLendon found the help that enabled her to overcome her eating disorder.

Julia Carpenter wrote about McLendon's experience in a Feb. 2 article on redandblack.com (a website that addresses issues of interest to UGA students):

Now healthy, happy and armed with a greater understanding of her past illnesss long-lasting effects, McLendon stressed that the disorder operates on two levels -- the mental and the physical.

"You have to gain the weight and get healthy again, but also mentally, you have to be ready for it," she said. "You have to be willing to get better." ...

University students suffering from an eating disorder can pursue three different avenues of treatment in Athens: [University Health Center Counseling and Psychiatric Services] , an outside psychology clinic or outpatient therapy.

McLendons father took her out of school and brought her home to be with her family.

Thats the best support, she said. The support of a family that loves you no matter what.

Labels: anorexia, family, recovery, eating disorders

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In a May 29 article that was posted on the website of the Gloucester Daily Times, relationship coach Susan Britt wrote that certain types of family dysfunction can put children at increased risk for developing an eating disorder:

In the perfectionistic family, there is constant pressure to be the best at everything -- an impossible order for any person to fill. You are not valued as an individual but for what you can contribute to the family's public reputation. The messages you grow up with are "Measure up!," "Be good!" and "Please people."

Food-focused families are another source of dysfunctional eating behavior. Parents who constantly count calories and fat or who exercise compulsively send their children the message that food is a negative thing and that eating is bad.

Equally unhealthy are families that use food to reward or punish behavior or to express love or consolation. People who grow up in these kinds of families don't understand that food isn't good or bad, it's just sustenance.

Near the end of her article, Britt noted that, with effective treatment, "destructive eating patterns can be unlearned and replaced with healthy eating behaviors."

For more information about eating disorder treatment for you or someone you love, visit the Something Fishy website.

Labels: family, causes of eating disorders

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A study of 2,500 teenagers has discovered that having regular family meals may help girls from using extreme weight control methods, but the effect did not hold for boys.

Researchers from the University of Minnesota surveyed the teens when they were 12 or 13 years old, and then again five years later. Both surveys included questions about eating habits and family.

Overall, about 26 percent of girls and 6 percent of boys reported using extreme measures such as self-induced vomiting, diet pills, or laxatives to control their weight. However, among those who ate five more meals a week with their families, the percentage of girls who were using extreme weight control measures was only 17 percent.

This study appeared in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.

Labels: family, meals

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A study of teenagers with bulimia found that incorporating family therapy with practical goal setting worked better than individual therapy that focused on the teen's feelings.

Bulimia is an eating disorder in which an individual binges - or eats large amounts of food - and then purges the food through forced vomiting, excessive exercise, or the use of laxatives.

Researchers at the University of Chicago divided 80 bulimics between the ages of 12 and 19 into two groups:

• The first group had family therapy and a practical approach that involved teaching the teens to set goals and avoid purging. The teens, their parents, and their siblings participated in 20 sessions with trained therapists.
• The second group of teens met individually with therapists to discuss their feelings and to find reasons for their behaviors.

After six months, four out of ten members of the family therapy group had stopped bingeing and purging, compared to only two members of the individual therapy group.

The National Institute of Health funded this study, which appeared in the journal Archives of General Psychiatry.

Labels: family, therapy

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Becca's sister had suspected something was wrong. When she heard Becca throwing up in the bathroom, her suspicions were confirmed - Becca was struggling with bulimia. She immediately told her mom, and the two tried to get Becca some help.

"After months, the counselor told her family that the message just wasn't getting through and Becca was doing a lot of harm to her body. She has kidney problems, an ulcerated esophagus, bouts with chest pain, low blood pressure and is at risk of having a heart attack."

Becca is now in an inpatient program where her mom and sister are hoping she'll finally get the help she needs. Becca's family is sharing her story not only to raise awareness about bulimia but to bring attention to insurance companies who rarely cover eating disorder treatment. Source: The Daily Journal (MO)

Labels: family, awareness, support

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Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine have put out a call for local families that have a child between the ages of 12 and 18 suffering from anorexia and are willing to be part of a 16-week study. The study will compare two types of family therapy.

"One will teach families 're-feeding.' It will include a session where a counselor observes a family meal to determine how its dynamics have changed and how effective parents can be at encouraging their children to eat adequate amounts of food."

The second method will focus more on family counseling and dealing with adolescent issues that may trigger eating disorders. The study is being funded by the National Institute of Mental Health and will take place at six locations across the United States. Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Labels: family, research, study

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A small study conducted in the UK found that caregivers of eating disorder patients were highly receptive to a DVD-training and telephone-coaching program that taught them how to support their eating disordered family member.

"People caring for a person with an eating disorder must provide substantial emotional support to the ill person, and may themselves suffer considerable distress, [Dr. Ana R.] Sepulveda and her team explain. At the same time misunderstanding of the family and individual's role in the illness 'can lead to patterns of overprotection, criticism or hostility.'"

Only 14 people participated in the study, which makes it too small to show significant effect, but the results are promising. Source: Reuters

Labels: family, support, caregivers

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When a teenager is struggling with an eating disorder, he or she isn't the only one to suffer. Though she is the one at greatest risk, her family suffers right along with her. In an attempt to capture this painful journey, Lorri and Taryn Benson - mother and daughter - have teamed up to write the book Distorted: How a Mother and Daughter Unraveled the Truth, the Lies and the Realities of an Eating Disorder.

"Distorted chronicles their story, written in the hopes that other parents, spouses, siblings and friends can learn from their ordeal. It's not just a cautionary tale about the dangers of eating disorders... This book dramatically examines an eating disorder from dual perspectives, revealing many highly charges issues..."

Distorted has been called "raw" and "brutally honest" as mother and daughter fight for their family, their finances, and their lives. Source: DistortedTheBook.com

Labels: family, support, effects_of_eating_disorders

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A recent study found that overweight teens are more likely to practice extreme dieting measures or develop eating disorders if their parents focus too much on weight issues. The study, conducted by researchers at the University of Minnesota, tracked the eating habits of 1,311 girls and 1,069 boys for a five year period.

"Weight-teasing by family, personal weight concerns and dieting/unhealthy weight-control behaviors 'strong and consistently' predicted being overweight, binge eating, and engaging in extreme weight-control behaviors..."

However, frequent family meals, frequent lunch eating, and a positive atmosphere at family meals appeared to reduce the risk for both binge eating and extreme weight-control measures over time.

Dealing with a brat? Wish you could send them to Brat Camp? Turn-About Ranch, featured in the UK version of Brat Camp, can help your difficult teenager too!

Labels: family, support, healthy_eating

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Family-based therapy (FBT) has previously been proven a more effective treatment than supportive psychotherapy (SPT) for adolescent anorexia. Now, the same has been proven for treatment of adolescent bulimia, according to a study funded by the National Institute for Mental Health.

"Daniel le Grange, PhD, of the University of Chicago, and colleagues randomly divided 80 teenagers with bulimia, ages 12-19, into two treatment groups, FBT or SPT... Six months after the end of treatment, 16 of the 41 participants (39 percent) who received FBT were in remission, compared with 7 of the 39 people (18 percent) in the SPT treatment group."

Family-based therapy empowers a teen's parents to take action and help their child stop bulimia-related behaviors. It also helps the parents separate the behaviors from the child and work with - not against - the child.

Private schools can help teenagers in ways that public schools just aren't able to - with better academics, personal attention from teachers, and a wide range of extra-curricular activities. Find one at www.boardingschoolsinfo.com.

Labels: family, support, therapy

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Teens who eat dinners with their families are more likely to eat fruit and vegetables when they hit their twenties, according to a new study by the University of Minnesota. The study involved surveying 1500 people when they were in high school and again at age 20.

The 20-year-olds who ate evening meals with their families during adolescence had higher intakes of calcium, magnesium, potassium and fiber, and drank fewer soft drinks. This study appears in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.

Find help for parents of troubled teens at ByParents-ForParents.com.

Labels: family, students, healthy_eating

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A University of Chicago Medical Center team has found that adolescents who seek treatment for bulimia significantly increase their chances for recovery if their parents are involved in the process.

The randomized study involved 80 adolescents, half of which were assigned family-based treatment while the other half were assigned standard treatment.

"In the September issue of Archives of General Psychiatry [the] team... shows that almost 40 percent of participants in family-based treatment had stopped binging and purging compared to only 18 percent of those who received... the standard therapy. Six-months after treatment, almost 30 percent of participants who received family-based treatment were still abstinent compared to only 10 percent of participants who received supportive psychotherapy..."

The family-based therapy included clinic sessions with the patient and family members, while parents received instructions on to follow-up and encourage their children at home. The study shows that parents are uniquely positioned to help their children recovery from this potentially deadly eating disorder.

Labels: family, support, therapy

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Max Lucas is married to Grace Bowman whose book "Thin" details her personal struggle with anorexia. Though she had recovered physically, she was still recovering psychologically when she and Max first met.

"For a few weeks after she told me, I kept an eye on her - seeing if she went to the toilet during a meal, that sort of thing. But as I got to know more about how Grace was actually feeling and the history of [her anorexia], and how far she had come from where she was, I got less concerned."

Max took practical, positive steps to help Grace continue in her recovery. Though he never nagged her about her eating habits, even when they were worrisome, he watched her to make sure she remained healthy. They are now married and living in Hertfordshire, north of London, Great Britain. Read more online.

Labels: family, recovery, support

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When a younger child, or teenager, is diagnosed with an eating disorder, the whole family is affected. Though only one child is sick, siblings are deeply affected by the frustrations, fears, and other emotions associated with an eating disorder.

"From other parents whose children had recovered from anorexia, I heard the same kinds of concerns. Predictably, the younger the child, the more acting out the parents saw, including clinginess, tantrums, mimicking dangerous behaviors like not eating, and depression."

Once the child has recovered from the eating disorders, siblings often feel freer to express their own feelings of anger, fear and frustration, so the emotions may not come until the crisis is over. Read more online.

Labels: family, recovery, impact

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