Recognizing Early Warning Signs of Disease
By Abigail Natenshon, MA, LCSW, GCFP
By the time parents see obvious signs of eating disorders, such as rapid
weight loss, compulsive over-exercising, skipping meals, disappearing into
the bathroom during or after meals, etc., it is likely that disease has
already become entrenched.
Additional visible indicators of early disease may include:
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Dieting
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Reaching
puberty at an early age and showing concern abut weight gain
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Picky or
idiosyncratic eating
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Interest in
reading food labels and in counting fat gram and colories
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Becoming a
vegetarian
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Avoiding
sweets
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Drinking lots
of water or diet pop to take the place of meals
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Reluctance to
eat in front of family and others
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Spending a lot
of time in front of the mirror
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Involvement in
weight conscious activities, such as ice skating, gymnastics, running or
dance.
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Spending time
in the bathroom after eating.
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Compulsive
exercising
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Hiding food
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Bingeing or
restricting food
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Impulsive
behaviors, such as shop-lifting
Recognizing the early warning signs of disease allows parents to nip the
disease in the bud before it takes hold or to facilitate a timely and
effective recovery. Parents must understand that eating disorders are not
about food, but are the individual's misuse of food to solve emotional
problems. They may observe less obvious signs of pre-disease in emotions,
behaviors, and attitudes that do not necessarily concern food and eating at
all. Early signs of disease will cluster, taking form in the child's
- problems with self-control or self-esteem
- behavioral excessiveness or inflexibility
- black and white thinking
- attitudes and values
- difficulty dealing with stress
- fatique, depression, loss of motivation and social withdrawal
- body image concerns
- difficulty recognizing and expressing feelings
- difficulty resolving problems courageously and effectively
The resourceful child who is a good problem-solver is an unlikely candidate
to develop a disease whose primary purpose is to supply pseudo-solutions for
real problems.
An example of a non-food related excess is an anorexic high school senior
who wrote term papers two months before they were due, then edited them
daily, 60 times each, before handing them in.
Remember that not every eating quirk is a disorder. Pathology is present
when the individual ceases to have voluntary choice in these behaviors, when
once benign behaviors begin to interfere with the child's life at home, at
school and with his or her friends.
Taking Action - What Parents Can Do
Excerpted from When Your Child Has an
Eating Disorder; A Step-by-Step Workbook for Parents and Other Caregivers
(by Abigail H. Natenshon, Jossey Bass Publishers, October, 1999: page
57)
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Set standards
for a balanced eating and exercise lifestyle at home. Everyone in your
household should be eating three nutritious meals a day.
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Prepare meals
and expect your family to enjoy them together as often as possible.
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Discuss your
thoughts, feelings and values with your children. Speak until you are
heard.
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Understand how
your own attitudes about food influence your child, and try to keep them
separate from your child's issues.
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Hear the
feeling messages behind your child's statements; respond to your child,
not to the food she consumes.
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Learn as much
as you can before reaching out for help. Knowledge is power.
-
Keep
expectations realistic for yourself, your child, the treatment process,
and the professionals. Remember that you are dealing with a highly
imperfect science.
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Set goals for
yourself and meet them. They will keep you focused and productive.
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Remember that
there are many "right" ways to do things.
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Begin your
foray into the community of health care providers knowing that your
child deserves the very best and that your purpose is to make sure she
or he gets it.
Parents must take a positive role to play in identifying problems.
- Educating their child about the disease
- Encouraging their child to get treatment
- Helping to find expert professional assistance
- Participating with the family in the treatments
- Evaluating the recovery process
- Troubleshooting problems in a stalled recovery
- Making changes alongside their child.