Help Adolescents with Anorexia Nervosa
Do you know about Anorexia Nervosa? Have you seen adolescents suffering from Anorexia Nervosa? Do you want to help adolescents with Anorexia Nervosa? Anorexia Nervosa is a Eating Disorder in which people have an extremely low body weight maybe they are underweight but still have intense fear of gaining weight – that’s why they restrict the calorie or amount of food intake and if they consumed more food, they like to control their calorie intake by vomiting after eating or by using laxatives or enemas.
Thus, it’s too difficult to handle this unhealthy issue and it can be life threatening. So, here the parents need to help their children that is their adolescents with Anorexia Nervosa and support them to lead a healthy life.
Anorexia Nervosa- Signs and Symptoms
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Adolescents with Anorexia Nervosa, the eating disorder are actually living a hilarious life, they have not only the physical problems but also the behavioral, mental and emotional issues. Since they have Negative Self-Image and have the unrealistic expectations of body shape, they are suffering from depression, anxiety disorder, phobia of getting fat, mood swings and also from social withdrawal. The Major signs and symptoms of adolescents with Anorexia Nervosa are-
. obsessed about weight, food and calorie– generally they have low weight or under weight
. intense fear of getting weight leading to minimum food intake or starvation.
.distorted Body Image- body shaming by self.
. . chronic fatigue, insomnia
. Rapid mood swings, anxiety disorder
. Low self-esteem, Body dysmorphic Disorder
. Depression, social Isolation
. Sometimes purging with laxatives, enemas after the Binge Eating.
. Alexithymia- difficulty in recognizing and expressing emotions
It is seen more in women than in man- the adolescents are the most sufferer of this disorder.
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Ways to Help Adolescents with Anorexia Nervosa
Anorexia Nervosa is the eating disorder that not only affect the physical health of adolescents but also affect their psychological and emotional health, sometimes make the adolescents the sufferer of depression, social isolation and dysmorphic body disorder. So, the parents need to help the adolescents with Anorexia Nervosa in the following ways.
Talk with the Adolescents
To help adolescents with Anorexia Nervosa, it is mandatory to talk with them about the issue- about the problems and difficulties faced by them and then to offer support to them. If the parents try to understand the issue and be empathetic to adolescents, the adolescents will be able to manage this disorder easily and also grow confidence in them.
Make a Record of the Behavioral Issues
The parents can record the behavioral issues of the adolescents- their obsession with food, frequency of binge eating, purging, frequent checking of weight, anxiety or their tendency of social isolation. Those record will surely help adolescents with Anorexia Nervosa to understand the severity of their problem and parents can also provide support to them.
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Praise can be Effective
To help adolescents with Anorexia Nervosa, praise, good words and appreciation are really so effective to raise the level of their confidence and boost up their self- esteem. Generally, those adolescents have low self-esteem due to their negative self-image and they are also suffering from depression. So, the praise from the parents is really effective to face their anxiety disorder and fight to win it.
Lifestyle Modification
Lifestyle modifications like doing regular exercise, eating balanced diet, taking proper sleep, nurturing the “Me Time”, yoga, meditation etc. are really beneficial to manage the eating disorder and the parents can help the adolescents to bring modifications in their life. The parents can also suggest the Mindfulness techniques to help adolescents with anorexia nervosa so that they can manage their anxiety and stress.
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Teach them to ‘Accept Themselves’
To help the adolescents to change their perception of distorted Body Image and accept them as they are, the parents should show good approach towards their appearance also like ‘my beautiful girl’ or ‘my smart boy’ etc. The parents should help the adolescents to focus on their strengths and thus boost up their self-confidence.
Take Professional Support
In extreme cases, the parents should take their children to professionals and take the counselling from them. Here the Talk Therapy, Psychotherapy. Cognitive Therapy, CBT etc. are really beneficial. To help adolescents with Anorexia Nervosa, the parents also can know about various coping strategies from the counsellors or therapists to beat the issue.
Words from Wingsofwishes.in
Anorexia Nervosa is not only an eating disorder- various emotional, behavioral and psychological difficulties are associated with it and to manage this disorder both the adolescents and parents should work as a team. To help adolescents with Anorexia Nervosa, the parents should always provide support and guidance to them.
References
1.Anorexia nervosa – Wikipedia
2.Anorexia nervosa – Symptoms and causes – Mayo Clinic
3.Anorexia Nervosa: Symptoms, Causes, and Treatments (healthline.com)
4.Anorexia Nervosa | National Eating Disorders Association
5.Anorexia nervosa – types, causes, treatment and symptoms | healthdirect