Frequently Asked Questions

While dieting and awareness of body image may be seen in the teenage years, it can increase the risk of an eating disorder if it gets out of control. While anorexia nervosa generally begins during pre-adolescent and adolescent years as a way of coping in response to the increasing stressors associated with growing up, no one chooses to have an eating disorder. Dieting may be a phase but it can become a serious problem when it gets out of control. Ignoring unhealthy eating patterns and waiting for anorexia nervosa to resolve spontaneously rarely results in recovery.

Parents are the most important resource for the successful treatment of eating disorders. Some things that parents can do to aid in the recovery of their child are:

• Seek and evaluate clinical treatment options
• Prioritise the treatment of eating disorder over other activities(e.g school and co-curricular activities) to concentrate on treatment
• Take control of eating and food until the patient is able to do so independently
• Support your child with eating disorder, other siblings and other parent(s) or caregiver(s) emotionally and practically.
• Engage in treatment that ensures full nutrition and normalising eating behaviours
• Put boundaries on eating disorder and activity behaviours in your homes
• Read widely about eating disorders and effective treatment
• Work closely with your spouse or other family members to present a united voice to the patient
• Seek treatment for yourselves if you have illnesses or disordered eating behaviours
• Engage in self-care
• Remember the adolescent did not choose the illness and is not to blame.
• Remember the causes of ED are complex, and parents are not to blame.

Never give up and believe in full recovery.