Does My Teen Have an Eating Disorder? 5 Warning Signs and Getting Help

How can you tell if your teen is suffering from a hidden eating disorder?

For many who struggle with an eating disorder, the state officials mandate of practicing physical distancing and virtual learning can increase your teen’s stress with having access to a kitchen full of food at home (California Department of Public Health, 2020). This can trigger feelings of helplessness, extreme fear, and even rage that can make it extraordinarily difficult to refrain from restricting, binging, and/or purging food by various means. 

Since eating disorder behaviors elicit shame for most individuals with Anorexia Nervosa, Binge Eating Disorder, and Bulimia, it is likely that your loved one is engaging in behaviors in secrecy.  However, the pandemic has left your teen with less freedom to hide with school and all other activities of daily living taking place at home.

Here are some warning signs that your child may be struggling with food:

1.  Kitchen or Dining Avoidance

-You rarely or almost never see your child in the kitchen for a snack or meal during breaks from virtual classes

-Your teen may avoid being in the kitchen with others due to increased irritability, frustration, or anxiety when sharing the space with other family members

-There are efforts to delay sitting for and eating meals, which turns into eating in isolation in one’s bedroom or another non-meal space in the home before or after the family dines together

-You notice that when it is time to start or end a meal, your child seems to gravitate towards being in the bedroom or restroom

-It seems like a chore to have your teen join the family for a meal, help with meal prep, be interested in food, or help with other tasks associated with food

2.  Kitchen or Dining Obsession

-Your teen shows an increased interest in baking or cooking for the family which may or may not be accompanied by having a difficult time eating the finished product  

-You have noticed large quantities of food “disappearing” or thrown into the trash

-There is an increased fascination, obsession, or fixed “need” to clean the kitchen, pantry, dining space, or other locations of the home where food is stored or eaten

-Large amounts of the day are spent grazing in front of the refrigerator, in the kitchen, or another area of the home oriented for meals

-It seems relatively common for your teen to spend more time in the kitchen compared to other parts of the home

3.   A Change in Meal Consumption

-Your child rarely eats breakfast, lunch, dinner, and/or snacks in between meals

-There are odd eating patterns, such as whenever the family is asleep or otherwise occupied

-You find it hard to remember the last time you’ve seen your child eat or have a meal in front of you

-Your teen seems unsatisfied after eating and may have a difficult time recognizing hunger or fullness

4. Preoccupation with Body

-There is a struggle to use the camera feature during virtual school, extra curricular activities, or socializing with friends/family

-You may have received updates from teachers that your child is signing in late to virtual class because large amounts of time was spent checking one’s body in the mirror or possibly purging food in the restroom

-You notice your teen making body comparisons with siblings, peers, or others

-You suspect that your teen is pinching skin, stretching, pacing, obsessing over the number on the scale, or “checking” one’s body for changes against clothing

-You notice that your child often asks for reassurance about how one’s body looks especially after eating

-Negative comments are made about one’s own and/or others’ bodies

-You find it bizarre that your daughter has become unusually embarrassed or upset to have her menstrual cycle or seems to wish to not have her period Note. If your daughter is not menstruating regularly, it is recommended that she seeks immediate medical care as this may be a symptom of malnutrition

5. Mood Fluctuations

-Your teen’s experience of positive emotions seems tethered to obtaining perceived body image ideals

-There is a sharp decline in mood when your child perceives a change in body shape, size, and/or weight

-It can be really difficult to console or encourage your child before/during/after meal times

-Your teen’s self-esteem seems dependent on obtaining a certain appearance, size, shape, and/or weight

-You notice extreme sensitivity and self-conscious behavior when there doesn’t seem to be someone negatively
commenting on your teen’s size or appearance

-Your child is experiencing depression or anxiety and you believe this may be related to negative views of self, competence, purpose, and/or importance

If you noticed that any of the above thoughts, feelings, and behaviors sound familiar, it is recommended that you seek professional help for your teen. While males are not immune to have an eating disorder, females are nearly 10x more likely to acquiring one during adolescence (Santrock, 2019).  If you suspect your teen may be struggling with an eating disorder, it is critical to seek help as soon as possible. 

Professional Resources for Eating Disorder Help:

National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA): Contact the Help Line by clicking here

Access The Alliance for Eating Disorders’ Treatment Center and Practitioner Directory here

A Message from the Author:

Dr. Tracy Ballardo is a licensed psychologist with 8 years of experience treating eating disorders at all levels of care: inpatient hospitalization, outpatient hospitalization, residential treatment, community mental health settings, college settings, and private practice. She is passionate about working with adolescents and college students/young adults and uses creative art interventions in addition to talk therapy to provide a safe, comforting, and age-appropriate means to treat eating disorders, depression, and anxiety.

Dr. Ballardo is currently treating clients residing in California through virtual therapy using a HIPAA-compliant video platform in order to reduce the spread of the COVID-19 virus.  Whether you are seeking services for you or your adolescent, college student, you can request a free 20-minute phone consultation by clicking here.

References:

California Department of Public Health. (2020) State officials announce latest COVID-19 facts (NR20-067). Retrieved from. https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/OPA/Pages/NR20-067.aspx

Life-Span Development, Seventeenth Edition by John W. Santrock. McGraw Hill Higher Education, 2019. 978-1260092080