| Bulimia nervosa: How you can help your child at home | 294.000000000000 | Bulimia nervosa: How you can help your child at home | Bulimia nervosa: How you can help your child at home | B | English | Psychiatry | Teen (13-18 years) | NA | NA | Conditions and diseases | Caregivers
Adult (19+) | NA | | 2016-02-02T05:00:00Z | | | | | | 10.8000000000000 | 50.7000000000000 | 590.000000000000 | | Health (A-Z) - Conditions | Health A-Z | <p>Find out how you can help your child or teen recover from bulimia nervosa.</p> | <p>
<a href="/Article?contentid=282&language=English">Bulimia nervosa</a> is a challenge for the whole family, not just the person who is experiencing it. But there are some steps you can take at home to help your child recover while they receive other types of treatment.</p> | | <h2>Key points</h2><ul><li>Bulimia nervosa affects the whole family and requires a range of steps at home to help your child recover and resume your family's normal routine.</li><li>It is important to seek professional help as soon as you suspect bulimia nervosa.</li><li>Try to be a healthy role model in how you talk about your own appearance and your non-physical qualities.</li><li>Emphasize overall nutrition rather than fat or calories and limit your child's access to typical binge foods and materials that focus on dieting or exercise.</li><li>Have someone sit with your child at every meal to supervise their eating, especially during the first phase of their recovery.</li><li>Be persistent and consistent in encouraging your child to eat a range of foods and avoid purging as compensation.</li></ul> | | | | | | | | <h2>Seek treatment</h2><p>Bulimia nervosa does not go away on its own. It is important to seek help as soon as you suspect it in your child. The first step may be to make an appointment with your family doctor to get a referral to a specialized eating disorder program.</p><h2>Be a healthy role model</h2><p>As a parent or caregiver, you are a role model for your children. It is important to promote not only a healthy body image in children but also to show that you have a healthy body image. Avoid saying negative things about your physical appearance and weight in front of children. Instead, focus on what your body can do and on your positive attributes that have nothing to do with appearance. Minimize talk about good or bad foods and focus instead on overall health.</p><h2>Create a regular pattern of family mealtimes</h2><p>Make eating meals together as a family a priority, starting when your child is young. Emphasizing health and nutrition, rather than fat content and calories, helps children develop a healthy relationship with food. Eating as a family also promotes strong family bonds and better communication.</p><p>For children and teens diagnosed with bulimia nervosa, meal supervision is a key part of recovery. If your child has bulimia nervosa, it is important for someone to sit with them for every meal and snack during the first phase of their treatment.</p><h2>Be persistent and consistent</h2><p>Children and teens may experience anxiety or guilt during and after mealtimes, but it is important to maintain consistency and continue challenging their eating disorder behaviours and fears. The only way for someone to overcome these fears is to keep eating different types of foods and eliminate compensatory behaviour such as purging.</p><h2>Keep triggers to a minimum</h2><p>Some environments can make it harder for a person to recover from bulimia nervosa. You can help your child's recovery by reducing exposure to situations or materials that might trigger their eating disorder, such as diet books and websites, exercise materials or typical binge foods.</p> | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | <h2>Further information</h2><p>For more information on bulimia nervosa, please see the following pages:</p><p>
<a href="/Article?contentid=282&language=English">Bulimia nervosa: Overview</a></p><p>
<a href="/Article?contentid=283&language=English">Bulimia nervosa: Signs and symptoms</a></p><p>
<a href="/Article?contentid=281&language=English">Bulimia nervosa: Medical complications</a></p><p>
<a href="/Article?contentid=706&language=English">Bulimia: Treatment options</a></p><h2>Resources</h2><p>
<a href="http://www.nedic.ca/" target="_blank">NEDIC – National Eating Disorder Information Centre</a> (Canada)</p><p>
<a href="https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/" target="_blank">NEDA – National Eating Disorder Association</a> (United States)</p><p>American Academy of Pediatrics –
<em>
<a href="https://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/emotional-problems/Pages/Is-Your-Teen-at-Risk-for-Developing-an-Eating-Disorder.aspx" target="_blank">Eating Disorders in Children</a> </em></p><p>
<a href="https://www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk/" target="_blank">B-EAT – Beating Eating Disorders</a> (United Kingdom)</p><p>
<a href="https://keltyeatingdisorders.ca/" target="_blank">Kelty Eating Disorders</a> (Kelty Mental Health Resource Centre, BC Children's Hospital)</p><p>Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario –
<a href="https://www.cheo.on.ca/en/eating_disorder_info" target="_blank">
<em>Eating Disorders</em></a></p> | | <img alt="" src="https://assets.aboutkidshealth.ca/AKHAssets/bulimia_how_to_help_your_child.jpg" style="BORDER:0px solid;" /> | https://assets.aboutkidshealth.ca/AKHAssets/bulimia_how_to_help_your_child.jpg | | | | | | | Bulimia nervosa: How you can help your child at home | | False | | | | | | |
