Someone you know is suspected of having an eating disorder. What are some of the steps you can take to help this person?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Answers will vary.

The following are some ways that caregivers and health professionals can help growing children and adolescents avoid eating disorders:

Discourage restrictive dieting, meal skipping, and fasting (except for religious reasons).

Encourage children to eat only when hungry.

Promote good nutrition and regular physical activity in school and at home.

Promote regularly eating meals as a family unit.

Provide information about normal changes that occur during puberty.

Correct misconceptions about nutrition, healthy body weight, and approaches to weight loss.

Carefully phrase any weight-related recommendations and comments.

Don't overemphasize numbers on a scale. Instead, primarily promote healthful eating irrespective of body weight.

Increase self-acceptance and appreciation of the power and pleasure emerging from one's body.

Encourage coaches to be sensitive to weight and body image issues among athletes.

Emphasize that thinness is not necessarily associated with better athletic performance.

Enhance tolerance for diversity in body weight and shape.

Encourage normal expression of emotions.

Build respectful environments and supportive relationships.

Provide adolescents with an appropriate, but not unlimited, degree of independence, choice, responsibility, and self-accountability for their actions.