As a parent, you may not think much of it when your 14-year-old daughter starts avoiding family meals and spending more time alone in her room.
After all, she is a teenager. Avoiding uncool parents is what they do, right?
But during Eating Disorder Awareness Week (February 26-March 3), it's important to know that avoiding family meals may be a sign of an eating disorder.
"If your child is eating more than a typical amount of food in a sitting, almost looking like they're losing control over their eating...if they are doing compensatory behaviors, like purging, trying to throw up after eating meals or over exercising to try to lose weight...if they have a significant fear of gaining weight, those are also warning signs for eating disorders," says Dr. Jasmine Ghannadpour, a board certified psychologist at Children's Health and assistant professor at UT Southwestern.
While parents think they pick up on every change in their child, she emphasized that it's not always easy for parents to notice gradual changes in their child's well-being.
"When we live with somebody and see them every day, it's really hard to sometimes notice that gradual change," Dr. Ghannadpour says. "And parents typically aren't seeing their kids without their clothes on, especially the older they get."
It's important to remember that eating disorders are very complex.
"We really think about eating disorders as coming from a perfect storm of lots of different factors," she says. "Biological factors like genetics play a significant role. Psychological factors like depression, anxiety, trauma, obsessive compulsive traits can play a role. Social factors like social media or what their peers influence from peers and what they're doing can play a role."
In terms of seeking help, Dr. Ghannadpour urged parents to involve a healthcare professional early on.
"You should take them to the doctor and have them assessed...the doctor's a good place to start," she suggested.
Additionally, she advised parents to be mindful of how they discuss weight-related concerns with their child.
"When you go to the doctor, I urge parents to have conversations about weight away from their child...we want to be thoughtful about not having those conversations in front of a child and just thinking about lifestyle changes that the family can make as a whole," Dr. Ghannadpour recommended.
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