Treatment For Eating Disorders in Adolescents

One of the first things to do in seeking treatment for eating disorders for adolescents is to admit to yourself that it’s possible that your adolescent could be suffering from an eating disorder. You might think you’re a pretty open-minded person, but it can be very hard, even for a free-thinking individual, to accept that your teenager has an eating disorder.

This is because parents will often jump to the conclusion that their child’s eating disorder is all their fault, and while it is possible that they contributed (either through well-meaning advice on a child’s weight, neglect, or even abuse), there are other reasons that a child could develop an eating disorder that are out of your control.

The reason all of this is important is because you need to know how you contributed to the disorder if you want to help your child recover. A parent’s involvement in recovery is instrumental in helping a child who has been suffering from an eating disorder. Once you suspect that your child has been exhibiting symptoms of an eating disorder––anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, or binge eating, as examples––you should immediately seek professional help for your adolescent.

The treatment for eating disorders in adolescents tends to vary by location. If you live in a large city, there are probably large clinics and hospitalization programs to facilitate a positive change for your adolescent. In some cases, you’ll want the child to live in a residential treatment facility where their progress can be monitored 24/7, but this can be disruptive to a child’s social life, family life, and academic life, so this should probably be a last resort option. Otherwise, a child can simply seek treatment around regular activities.

In a smaller town, there are fewer options because licensed therapists who can help your adolescent will literally be fewer and farther between. If you get a therapist to help at your home, make sure that you are not sacrificing the kind of care that the child really needs just to keep him or her from having to go away to a residential treatment facility. The treatment for eating disorders in adolescent has to be tailor-made to each adolescent, so what is necessary for one might be overkill for another. This is why you need professional advice to help you decide what is necessary for your own adolescent child.

While there is no universal recommendation for treatment in adolescents, typically an adolescent will start in an outpatient treatment option with regular medical and mental health visits. If necessary, the adolescent will then proceed to more intensive treatment, but the key is that you not force them into something without gradually determining how they respond to less invasive help. Ultimately, treatment for eating disorders in adolescents should be as noninvasive as possible.

Also, don’t forget how important your role is as a parent in the treatment process. If you have any part in the cause, you have to have a part in the solution. Hopefully you are better acquainted with treatment for eating disorders in adolescents, and you should seek professional help right away if your adolescent is exhibiting any eating disorder symptoms.

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