Eating disorder
Eating disorders happen when an abnormal attitude towards food causes someone to change their eating habits and behaviour. A child or young person with an eating disorder might worry a lot about their weight and shape. This worry can lead to them making unhealthy choices about food which harm their health. Eating disorders are often a very hidden and secretive illness, making it hard for parents or carers to know if their child has an eating problem.
Some signs of the difficulty include:
- pushing food around their plate or not eating their meals
- serious unexplained weight loss
- hiding food, under their bed for example
- leaving the table quickly after meals, to vomit for example
- wearing loose fitting clothes to hide their weight loss
- only eating small amounts of low calorie foods
- food going missing from the kitchen in large amounts (to binge on)
- showing signs they’re unhappy with their body or weight