Teenage Eating Disorders - What To Do As A Parent

If you believe your teen has or is developing an eating disorder you should seek professional psychological and medical treatment as soon as possible and be aware that the treatment process for a developed eating disorder can be a lengthy process. If you are concerned that your child has a poor body image but do not feel that they have any real eating disorder, the following suggestions may be helpful:


1. Don’t encourage your teen to eat, watch them eat, or initiate discussions about weight. This will just further draw attention to the issue and they may pick up on your nervousness about this issue.

2. Don’t speak negatively about food or weight and don’t point out how good someone looks just because they are thin.

3. Don’t feel guilty as a parent if your teenager is struggling with body image – it is not your fault and it is important that you do not focus on feelings of guilt but rather on ways you can offer support.

4. Don’t let your concerns cause you to neglect other things in your life such as outside interests or other family members who need your attention and support just as much as your teen who is struggling with their body image.

5. Don’t put them down or try to compare them to others – this will only further reduce their low self esteem.

6. Let them know that you are there to listen if THEY want to talk about it.

7. Put a lot of focus on other things they do well – not just on how they look so that they see their self worth as more than just physical appearance.

8. Encourage your teen to be active doing things they enjoy rather than focusing on specific weight loss activities that are rigid and feel like a chore instead of fun.

9. Encourage your teen to find something positive about themselves each day – it may be a challenge at first but will help them to focus on their competencies and positive things they can offer others.

10. Have fun and nutritious foods in the house so your teen does not feel guilty when they do want to snack.

11. If at all possible (and this is very, very difficult), try to limit your teen’s exposure to the media which portrays unrealistic body types.

12. Compliment actions – compliment what they do, not how they look.

13. Love your child – they will sense this and your acceptance is extremely important to them even if they don’t show it!


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