Resources and guidelines for parents who have a teenager with an eating disorder
If you have a teenager with an eating disorder, you’re probably desperate for resources and information to help you navigate this difficult situation. The good news is that we’ve got the resources you need to figure things out and start helping your teen recover from their eating disorder.
Teenagers develop eating disorders for many different reasons. Your teen may have experienced puberty and growth spurts that made them feel uncomfortable in their body. They may be experiencing high levels of stress at school or on sports teams. And, unfortunately, they may be exposed to harmful ideas and ways of thinking about bodies, weight, and eating from their peers and social media. Maybe your teen has always been anxious and perfectionistic, and lately all their attention is on their weight, exercise and eating.
Whatever your teenager’s symptoms are, we can help you understand them and start to take meaningful action to help them recover. Eating disorders don’t have to be a life sentence – people can and do recover.
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Parenting a teenager with an eating disorder
Parenting a teenager who has an eating disorder is not easy. Eating disorders are complex illnesses that must be treated comprehensively. Since most eating disorders begin during the teen years, parents are on the front lines of treatment and care. But few feel prepared to handle it. Eating disorders are biopsychosocial disorders, meaning they combine biology, psychology, and social factors. Here are three key things about parenting a teenager with an eating disorder you should know:
- There’s a lot of pressure on teenagers that exacerbates the risk of eating disorders
- Teens have been taught that eating disorder behaviors are healthy (even though they aren’t)
- Mental healthcare for teens is really hard to get
⭐ Tip: Help your teenager feel safe and secure at home. This will reduce their stress and anxiety, which contributes to eating disorders. Keep in mind that when your teenager says “life sucks,” it may be true. It doesn’t mean you have failed as a parent, it just means the world is tough on teenagers. Yours likely needs love and support as they navigate this crazy world.
Striving for peer validation can worsen people’s body image by linking popularity to appearance.
Influence of Culture & Media on Teen Body Image
This article is from Alejandra Sandomirskiy, a high school sophomore who addresses how peers, cultural messages, and the media impact a person’s body image. How do you think people should handle the impact of peers, cultural messages, and the media?
An eating disorder? No, not my child!
For two years, I lived in a fog of guilt after my child was diagnosed with an eating disorder by a specialist and then hospitalized. I constantly questioned myself, wondering how in the world my child could have this problem: No, not my child. I know her better than anyone else on the earth. She’s complex, but no way could she have a mental disorder!
Teenagers in Eating Disorder Treatment Programs
There are a few common challenges that adolescents may face when they enter residential treatment. Being away from the familiarity of home and their friends and families can certainly be difficult, especially since many of them have never spent any significant amount of time away from home.
< More About Parenting With Eating Disorders
free cheat sheet: Parenting A Child With An Eating Disorder
⭐ Get ready for recovery and find out how you can prepare yourself for maximum success.
⭐ Find out the essential steps and family rules you need to have in place for recovery.
⭐ Make your home recovery-ready with six simple steps that anyone can do.
More Resources for Parents Who Have a Teenager With An Eating Disorder
How to handle mood swings in eating disorder recovery
Melanie feels worn out. Her teenage daughter Kimmy has an eating disorder, but that’s not even the biggest challenge right now. “What we’re really struggling with,” says Melanie, “are the endless mood swings. She’s up and down constantly, either yelling at me and getting in…
Help your teen with an eating disorder get enough sleep
If you have a teen who has an eating disorder, then you probably know that getting enough sleep is a key component of their care. But it can be hard to get any teenager to get enough sleep. And when you add on the disruption created…
Parenting a teenager with an eating disorder
Parenting a teenager who has an eating disorder is not easy. Eating disorders are complex illnesses that must be treated comprehensively. Since most eating disorders begin during adolescence, parents are on the front lines of treatment and care. But few feel prepared to handle it.…
Influence of Culture & Media on Teen Body Image
By Alejandra Sandomirskiy, high school sophomore How do peers, cultural messages, and the media impact a person’s body image? How do you think people should handle the impact of peers, cultural messages, and the media? As I scroll on social media, I often come across…
A mom’s story: An eating disorder? No, not my child!
Following is an excerpt from the book By Their Side: A Resource for Caretakers and Loved Ones Facing an Eating Disorder. The book is filled with personal anecdotes and helpful advice for parents who are facing a child’s eating disorder diagnosis and recovery. An eating…
A mother’s perspective: insights and experience gained in supporting my daughter in her recovery
Eating disorders are not well understood, isolating, frustrating, and painful. And that goes for the person who has it as well as the people who love and support that person. When a child develops an eating disorder, parents can easily become overwhelmed by treatment, fear,…
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Parent Scripts For Eating Disorder Recovery
Use these scripts:
- At the dinner table when behavior is getting out of control
- When you need to set boundaries – fast!
- After something happened so you can calmly review the triggers and events