Eating disorders, including anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder, are psychological disorders that involve extreme disturbances in eating behaviour.
You can be rest assured that at Skooc, you and your family are in good hands.
Keep a lookout for some of the following signs of an eating disorder in your teenager:
Teens with eating disorders are often in denial that anything is wrong. They may withdraw from friends and become overly sensitive to criticism. Symptoms of eating disorders may include the following:
A distorted body image
Unusual eating habits (such as eating thousands of calories at one meal or skipping meals)
Frequent weighing
Extreme weight change
Insomnia, Moody, anxious, depressed
Constipation
Skin rash or dry skin
Dental cavities, Erosion of tooth enamel
Loss of hair or nail quality
Hyperactivity and high interest in exercise
If you notice recurring instances of a few of these symptoms in your teenager, we at Skooc recommend a formal evaluation.
At Skooc, we help you better understand what you and your teenager are going through. Eating disorders are diagnosed based on signs, symptoms and eating habits. If your doctor suspects you have an eating disorder, he or she will likely perform an exam and request tests to help pinpoint a diagnosis.
Assessments and tests generally include:
Physical exam. Your doctor will likely examine you to rule out other medical causes for your eating issues. During a physical exam, your doctor will check your height, weight, and vital signs. Your doctor will also listen to your lungs and heart since eating disorders can cause high or low blood pressure, slow breathing or slow pulse rates. He or she may also order lab tests, including a complete blood count, liver, kidney, thyroid function tests, urinalysis.
Psychological evaluation. A doctor or mental health professional will likely ask about your thoughts, feelings and eating habits. You may also be asked to complete psychological self-assessment questionnaires.
Click here to take an assessment.
Next Steps and Intervention
Our team of professional psychologists at Skooc can help you and your family by providing the necessary interventions. Treatment of an eating disorder generally includes a team approach. The team typically includes primary care providers, mental health professionals and dietitians — all with experience in eating disorders.
Treatment depends on your specific type of eating disorder. But in general, it typically includes nutrition education, psychotherapy and medication.
Psychotherapy, also called talk therapy, can help you learn how to replace unhealthy habits with healthy ones. This may include:
Family-based therapy (FBT). FBT is an evidence-based treatment for children and teenagers with eating disorders. The family is involved in making sure that the child or other family member follows healthy-eating patterns and maintains a healthy weight.
Cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT). CBT is commonly used in eating disorder treatment, especially for bulimia and binge-eating disorders. You learn how to monitor and improve your eating habits and your moods, develop problem-solving skills, and explore healthy ways to cope with stressful situations.
"My daughter lost 11 kgs across the Skooc program which was more than 10% of her body weight and has stayed in the healthy range of BMI since then. She now makes the right decisions regarding her foods and is aware of the effect of what she eats and her exercise on her weight.
Skooc has helped my daughter get into a great shape physically and mentally. She has lost more than 15 kgs and has improved her health metrics enough that she is no longer at risk of chronic diseases. The program worked with my daughter and me to help us understand how to correct what we were doing. Very importantly, Avi and I no longer fight over what she eats and what she does not.
My son has lost 15 kgs and I lost 10 kgs through the Skooc program. It was easily paced and did not ever restrict my child from eating anything that was essential. He had a balanced meal everyday and he and his counsellor agreed on a schedule that was easy for me to cook too. From a child who watched TV all the time and ate junk food, Ayaan is now an active child and a healthy eater who is very happy and confident with how he looks.
Manish was severely obese with a risk of contracting chronic conditions. After joining the Skooc program, he has lost over 15 Kgs and has started to exercises everyday for 45 minutes. He suffered from pain in the knees which has gone now and he is able to run and play with his friends. It has been 1 year since he started to lose weight and he is still in the process successfully losing wight and getting healthy.
Ria was teased very badly in school for being fat and would be very embarrassed about even going out. When we went to the doctor we were shocked to find out that she was very overweight and had high cholesterol. We joined Skooc and both she and I have dropped our extra weight and even after finishing the full course are able to stick with the habits we learnt at Skooc. We are both very happy with our new healthy bodies.
My son suffered from constant digestive issues and obesity. He found it very difficult to run and play due to his thighs being very fat and also he suffered from pains in his knees, hips. He also had trouble breathing after even walking a small distance. We joined Skooc because we had tried to put Jay on a diet before and it had not worked. At Skooc, he dropped 24Kgs and is now a teenager who was healthily and works out everyday. I personally dropped 16Kgs and now we are both very close to entering our ideal weight zone