Eating disorders are on the rise amidst unprecedented challenges for adolescents. In this guest blog, Dr. Alexander Chevalier, MD, a child and adolescent psychiatrist and the medical director of adolescent treatment at SunCloud Health, outlines some of the early warning signs.
The COVID global pandemic saw a dramatic rise in adolescent eating disorders, just like other mental illnesses. The modern adolescent now faces 24/7 social media designed to turn distressed, poor body image, and poor self-esteem into corporate profit, making this the most challenging time in human history for the collective body image of adolescents. While eating disorders are often associated with Caucasians, females, and middle to upper-class individuals, no group is spared from these illnesses, regardless of race, gender, or socioeconomic status.
The following are early warning signs for parents, teachers, coaches, or anyone working with youth to be mindful of:
- Rapid weight change
- Frequent discussions around special diets, “healthy eating,” or restricting food intake
- Regularly reporting stomach distress as a reason for not eating food
- Finding food thrown away (either untouched or chewed and then spat out)
- Excessive exercising, including exercising late into the night or becoming emotionally distraught if unable to keep an exercise routine
- Rushing to the bathroom after meals
- Finding vomit (mainly if the child is not sick or occurring on multiple occasions)
- Finding pro-eating disorder exchanges on social media or with friends
- Child is a target of weight-based bullying or body shaming
- Acute change to baggy clothing (to conceal accurate weight)
- Withdrawal from friends, family, and previously enjoyed activities
If you are concerned a child or adolescent has an eating disorder, know that you are not alone and help is available. There are teams of professionals ranging from pediatricians, child/adolescent psychiatrists, psychotherapists, and registered dieticians specializing in diagnosing and treating eating disorders. Early intervention is critical and dramatically improves prognosis.
While eating disorders carry grave health consequences, good evidence-based treatment exists to begin the process of recovery.
Alexander Chevalier, MD, is a child and adolescent psychiatrist and the medical director of adolescent treatment at SunCloud Health .
For more information, watch the CATCH Learn from Experts video series on eating disorders.
