Helping Your Teen Recover From Bulimia

Typical of young people, teens are often looking for approval from their parents, other adults, and most especially, from their peers. They are also readily impressionable and can quickly assimilate what other outside influences may teach them. Influences like media, teachers, Hollywood actors, athletes, and models can represent ideas that teen will eventually live by. It’s all well and good when these ideas are beneficial and can actually help your child in making future life choices. However, most often than not, these ideas are unsafe and can make your child prone to ill health.

One such idea is the concept of associating beauty, health, and athletic prowess with thinness. The media, especially models and Hollywood actors have often been blamed for presenting teens with role models who drink too much and party too hard. But the most popular role models for many are those who eat too little and diet too much. Sports like gymnastics, ballet, and wrestling often emphasize the preference for thin players. With icons like these influencing them, teens are more likely to develop distorted body images and eating disorders like bulimia.

The Psychology of Bulimia

Bulimia or what is commonly known as binge-and-purge eating disorder is not an isolated condition. It is a pervasive disorder that can affect your teen’s way of thinking and body. Eating disorders like bulimia do not just spring out of nowhere. While most teens commonly experience the onset of bulimia and other eating disorders at the age of 11-13, these conditions have been slowly building up psychologically. The poor eating habits and the obsession with weight are just the responses to what is going on inside their heads.

Giving Help

As an outsider – meaning one who doesn’t have the disorder – who loves your teen, you will want to help especially if you see his or her obsession with weight and food interfere with daily activities and interpersonal relationships. But you can never understand fully how it feels to wake up everyday and see your body and yourself as ugly, deformed, and unworthy. You cannot force your anorexic child to eat or a bulimic one to stop purging – but you can show your love, get them help, and provide support. Here’s how:

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   Express your concern in “I” terms. Most parents make the mistake of accusing their children of eating disorders outright. Even though your child realizes that he or she has a problem, direct accusation can make him or her defensive and angry especially if he or she is not yet ready to acknowledge the condition. Instead of saying “You are bulimic,” try using “I notice you are losing a lot of weight lately and I am getting worried.” Doing so gives your child a chance to open up about the drastic weight loss.

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   Encourage getting treatment. Ask your teen to see a doctor for the drastic weight loss. Offer support by means of contacting and getting him or her medical help. Tell your child to do it just to keep you from worrying. Once your child agrees to seek treatment, remember to address also the psychological root of the disorder by seeking the help of a psychiatrist. The psychiatrist may prescribe the use of an antidepressant like fluoxetine which has gained favorable results when used for the treatment of eating disorders.