Posts Tagged ‘Young Adults’

When your child is struggling with an eating disorder, it affects everyone in the family. Eating disorder symptoms can be confusing and elicit feelings of frustration, fear, and sadness. It’s difficult to know how to help, especially when you aren’t quite sure what’s going on.

Eating Disorders in Teens

Eating disorders are complex illnesses rooted in biology, psychology, culture, and more. These disorders often present when individuals are in their teens, so it’s essential to keep an eye out for eating disorder symptoms in children and young adults. Warnings signs to watch for include:

• Dramatic weight changes and/or the inability to meet growth milestones
• Eating less, eating in secret, or hiding food
• Frequent and negative talk about food, weight, or body image
• Excessive exercise to “offset” food consumption
• Bingeing, purging, or the abuse of laxatives
• Denial of disordered eating despite the concern of those around them

Episode description:

Spoken word poet and author Blythe Baird joins Peace Meal to discuss eating disorder recovery, using art as a vehicle to healing, and her latest book, “If My Body Could Speak.” Blythe shares with us the origin story of her eating disorder and how she found comradery (and fame!) in sharing her experience.

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We wanted to share former clients’ reflections on their time in The Emily Program’s adolescent programs.

• “The Emily Program has helped me a lot mostly because I am a kid and usually these (things) don’t make a whole lot of sense. Thank you.” – Adolescent client
• “Our family is more open—not just about food, but with feelings. It’s amazing to see how much everything has changed and how willing they are to say how they feel.” – Adolescent client
• “I feel surrounded and protected—something I didn’t have for many years. It’s nice to have that, finally.” – Adolescent client
• “Sometimes, you feel like you’re doing the battle alone. Being with the other parents definitely made me feel more supported. There’s a whole bunch of other people going through the same thing with their kids.” – Parent of an adolescent client
• “I’m here with my daughter. She’s only been in the program for 2 months but I see changes in her already. So it’s nice to know I still have hope.” – Parent of an adolescent client
• “I want to thank my daughter for being strong enough to face her own issues with her eating disorder. She came to The Emily Program to take back her life and she helped me realize I can do the same.” – Parent of an adolescent client

For parents who are concerned that their child has an eating disorder, it can be hard to know when they’re ready for treatment or if they even need treatment. At The Emily Program, we have experience working with thousands of clients and families, all at different points in their recovery. From this work, we understand the importance of properly addressing your child if there is a concern about their eating and food behaviors.

How do I know if my child needs help?

Eating disorders are complex and insidious, so it’s often challenging for parents to know what is truly going on. In order to determine if your child is struggling with eating disorder behaviors, we suggest answering these questions.

*This blog was written anonymously. This is one person’s story; everyone will have unique experiences on the road to recovery.

During my time at The Emily Program, we talked about having a “life worth living” in DBT [dialectical behavioral therapy] skills groups, which meant having a life that contained relationships, activities, and coping skills outside of your eating disorder.

Sheena Washburn, Clinical Manager and Outpatient Dietitian at our Seattle location, won an Outstanding Preceptor Award from the University of Washington for excellence in her work providing training to interns in her community.