Youre not alone as a lot of people have been in this position.
Sometimes it can be harder for a person with disordered eating to recognize the problem.
At onset, an eating disorder can often resemble behaviors that our culture admires.
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Maybe your loved one has been dieting, but has become increasingly fixated and restrictive.
Maybe theyre eating less and less when they are with youor you never see them eat at all.
Maybe their exercise habits seem excessive or dangerous, or they obsess to you about their weight.
Eating disorders are very poorly understood by the general population and myths abound.
Understanding thefacts about eating disorderscan be a great place to start.
You’ll learn easy-to-understand facts like eating disorders are not choices, but serious biologically influenced illnesses.
This is not surprising.
The best time to share your concern is outside the context of a meal.
give a shot to find a quiet moment when you’ve got the option to be alone.
Let your friend or loved one know what youve observed and that you are worried about them.
This should be followed with a display of compassion: Im worried about you.
People with eating disorders often lack insight into their illness, likely in response to malnutrition in the brain.
As a result, they do not believe they need help.
Remembering there is a biological reason for this can help you to better handle this behavior.
Dont think of them as being defiant or resistant.
Instead, realize they have a deficit in their insight.
Keep this in mind when things seem hopelessyou can be enormously helpful to your friend or loved one.
Offer hope and remind them that most people with eating disorders do recover.
A professional can assess your loved ones symptoms, provide a diagnosis, and make treatment recommendations.
you’re free to learn more about thetypes of treatment availablefor your loved one.
The aforementioned NEDA and The Alliance for Eating Disorder Awareness can both provide referrals and treatment directories.
make a run at engage the person in activities that dont revolve around eating or exercise.
Run an errand together, go to a show, watch a movie, or just hang out.
Even if they refuse or resist, dont give up on them.
Keep trying and maintain the connection.
You may even offer to go food shopping with them.
For people with an eating disorder, meals can be extremely challenging.
And yet, it is something they must do dailyseveral times!
They may also experience urges to purge after meals.
During the meal, just be calm and supportive.
Provide engaging conversation about neutral topics other than their eating disorder or food.
These urges often last about an hour after eating.
A great way to support a person with an eating disorder is toprovide counter messages.
Encourage the acceptance of bodies of all shapes and sizes and discourage dieting.
Diet culture is everywhere and its impossible to avoid it.
Learn -based treatment for adolescent eating disorders, a leading treatment approach for children and teens.
There is much it’s possible for you to do to help them.
Buckle up and prepare for the journey.
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Vandereycken, W. (2006).
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