Overview

An eating disorder is a compulsion to eat, or avoid eating, that negatively affects both one's physical and mental health. Eating disorders are all encompassing. They affect every part of the person's life. According to the authors of Surviving an Eating Disorder, "feelings about work, school, relationships, day-to-day activities and one's experience of emotional well being are determined by what has or has not been eaten or by a number on a scale." Anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa are the most common eating disorders generally recognized by medical classification schemes, with a significant diagnostic overlap between the two. Together, they affect an estimated 5-7% of females in the United States during their lifetimes. There is a third type of eating disorder currently being investigated and defined - Binge Eating Disorder. This is a chronic condition that occurs when an individual consumes huge amounts of food during a brief period of time and feels totally out of control and unable to stop their eating. It can lead to serious health conditions such as morbid obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease.

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Eating Disorders - The Importance of Being a United Front With Your Anorexic Daughter

Before you approach your daughter about her eating disordered behavior, make sure you and your spouse are on the same page with how to respond at meal times. The reason for this is because she will listen to whichever one is most lenient, and then the other parent has to be the bad guy. You must be united in your approach or you will impede her recovery.

Often, but not always, the fathers are the bad guys. They are naturally more firm and mom may still be trying to use the nurturing approach. The problem is nurturing alone will not do it. Nurturing has to be balanced with strength.

You can force one spouse into being the bad parent while you are the good parent; or you can work together to send consistent messages and stand united against the eating disorder. Both parents must look for the balance between tenderness and strength in all interactions with her. It will be more effective and she will respond more quickly if she knows it is not possible to manipulate either one.

If parents are not able to be on the same page, I would recommend they get coaching or counseling for themselves first. An experienced, objective party will help educate and help them work through differences.

A parent that has the most difficulty accepting that this is a problem usually needs more information. It is not that they don't care or are just being stubborn. My experience is once they sit down with someone experienced in this arena and some trust is built, they will usually get on board and not only support the process but be an active participant.

If there are marital issues already, a child's illness can raise the bar in challenging parents' ability to work together as a team. Most parents do everything they can to put their own issues on the shelf in order to be a positive support in the recovery process. The biggest thing for parents to realize is how imperative it is they get on the same page and support one another in parenting their eating disordered child. Her life is at stake. Parents must be a united front and for her sake find a way to be a team and work together as a family.



Autor: Lynn A Moore

Do you want to learn more about eating disorders?

If so, download my free e-book "Eating Disorder Basics for Parents" here http://www.why-my-daughter.com/edb.html

Lynn Moore educates, coaches, and consults parents on how to help their adolescent with eating disorder behavior. She will guide you through the treacherous waters of deciding what kind of help you need and what you, the parents need to do and can do to help your child.


Added: December 18, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

Posted by admin at 9:42 PM

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)