Breaking the Mold of Eating Disorders
Recently, I came across this article from ABC News (found here) which sheds light on eating disorders in individuals that break the “mold” of who is typical. One is about a female kindergartner who is anorexic, and another supplemental video is about a male with binge eating disorder.
These cases do not follow the typical type of populations often thought of with eating disorders. It is relatively rare to hear of eating disorders in children as young as kindergarten age. However, it is becoming increasingly more common in young children to develop disordered eating, and concerns about body image and weight. According to a recent study from British hospitals (linked below), of 2100 children who were treated for eating disorders, 98 children were ages 5-7, 99 children were ages 8-9, and 400 were 10-20 years old. Over 1,500 were in the 13-15 age category. After reading the article on the news and the study, I wondered how often young children with eating disorders are being overlooked due to their non-typical age.
The binge eating disorder video on the ABC News website revealed another case of an individual who breaks the mold of common populations with eating disorders. In this video, Ron Saxen discussed his experience with binge eating disorder and expressed having had a past history of anorexia and bulimia related behaviors. He expressed his experience of binging as a means of escape from stressful situations, which is typical of most binge eating disorder diagnoses. This interview was especially interesting as it is shared from the male perspective.
For more information regarding the studies conducted in British hospitals, please visit:
~Author: Kelly A. Carrier, MEd, LPCA, NCC (Guest Blogger)
