Anorexia

How Parents Can Help Their Teen Anorexia Afflicted Children

Parents of teen girls are a worried lot in the US these days. It is because their daughters' greatest fear is gaining weight. The fear is so great that most of them have resorted to starve themselves to retain a thin body. Teen anorexia is rampant in the US today and it is directly incumbent on parents of teen anorexics to do much to improve their mental condition, besides diagnosing the psychological illness at an early stage.

Parents of teen anorexics can observe the signs of anorexia in their daughters at an early stage. They can easily know the signs by a change in their daughters eating patterns or their behavior related to the eating of food. If they notice a perceptible change occurring in the food habits of their daughters, they need to become alert. They can help their daughters very much by having the following information about this dangerous eating disorder.

Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder that has its foundations in the way that the mind works. It is due to an emotional issue related to 'weight' and 'body image' that can have obsessive overtones. The eating disorder primarily affects girls and women in the 14 to 30 years age bracket. It usually begins in the age just preceding adolescence when reproductive hormonal changes occur in their bodies.

Teen anorexics believe that their happiness lies in gaining control of their food intake and consequently their body shape and weight. The obsession of thinness may drive them to remain hungry or to tolerate the pangs of hunger for a long period.

They may become extremely choosy about the food they eat. The thought of becoming fat is all pervading in their minds. This may make them keep away from food so much so that it deprives their body of all essential nutrients. Some of them may take to exercising to keep the devil of weight gain at bay.

All of this leads to adverse effects on the physical, mental, and emotional health. Most of all it creates in an imbalance in their thinking that is obsessed with thinness at all costs.

Parents need to realize that the issue can easily snowball into adverse health of their daughters. They need to drive the unnecessary fear from the minds of their minds by providing them complete support and specialized and sensitive care. They can help give this care to their daughters by doing the following.

Parents need to gently talk out the matter with their daughters. They need to choose to have the talk when their daughters are in a good frame of mind. They need to explain the hormonal changes in their bodies and how it will better prepare them later to help develop their own fetuses and bring up healthy babies at a later stage.

The most important thing that parents can do to retain self esteem in their teen anorexia afflicted daughters is to tell them in so many words that it is fine with them even if they are a little plump.

Anorexia