Eating disorders have become more common in the past few years, especially with the stressors and isolation brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Eating disorders can manifest in many ways: sudden loss of an excessive amount of weight due to restricting the amounts and types of foods eaten; binge eating, sometimes accompanied by purging; excessive focus on "healthy eating" leading to fewer and fewer foods becoming considered acceptable to eat; excessive focus on exercise or building a muscled physique. Eating disorders can cause serious medical complications, such as fatigue, light-headedness, slowed heart rate, loss of normal menstrual cycles, constipation, and in severe cases can cause life-threatening cardiac and metabolic disorders. Eating disorders can also cause or worsen mental health disorders like anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder and self-harming behaviors.
The physicians at East Bay Pediatrics have experience in identifying and treating Eating Disorders, and can provide support and guidance to their patients and their families. During all regular well child visits, your pediatrician will screen for any nutritional concerns, concerning changes on the growth curves, and any physical signs that could indicate an eating disorder. They will also provide appropriate advice about how to discuss healthy eating and body image in the home, to help prevent any tendencies toward eating disorders. If an eating disorder has been diagnosed, your pediatrician will help educate the patient and family about the medical implications of this diagnosis and devise a treatment plan. Typically, this is done as a team approach, involving the pediatrician, who monitors and oversees the medical aspects of the disorder, a psychologist with expertise in treating eating disorders will provide support to the patient and family, and a nutritionist who educates about the nutritional needs of the patient. Appointments occur frequently, every week or month, depending on the severity of the condition. The most common approach to treating eating disorders is a family-based treatment, where parents or guardians will be supervising when and how much the child is eating, and over time letting the child become more independent in their eating as they become more medically stable.
Having a child with an eating disorder can be a scary and overwhelming situation, and your pediatrician will work with your child and your whole family to provide the loving support you need to get the best care possible.
The physicians at East Bay Pediatrics have experience in identifying and treating Eating Disorders, and can provide support and guidance to their patients and their families. During all regular well child visits, your pediatrician will screen for any nutritional concerns, concerning changes on the growth curves, and any physical signs that could indicate an eating disorder. They will also provide appropriate advice about how to discuss healthy eating and body image in the home, to help prevent any tendencies toward eating disorders. If an eating disorder has been diagnosed, your pediatrician will help educate the patient and family about the medical implications of this diagnosis and devise a treatment plan. Typically, this is done as a team approach, involving the pediatrician, who monitors and oversees the medical aspects of the disorder, a psychologist with expertise in treating eating disorders will provide support to the patient and family, and a nutritionist who educates about the nutritional needs of the patient. Appointments occur frequently, every week or month, depending on the severity of the condition. The most common approach to treating eating disorders is a family-based treatment, where parents or guardians will be supervising when and how much the child is eating, and over time letting the child become more independent in their eating as they become more medically stable.
Having a child with an eating disorder can be a scary and overwhelming situation, and your pediatrician will work with your child and your whole family to provide the loving support you need to get the best care possible.
