Childhood Anorexia

I recently received an e-mail from a woman whose 12-year-old anorexic niece was threatening suicide. The girl's weight had rapidly dropped from 97 pounds to 68. While hospitalized, she received group therapy with 30- and 40-year-old women, which the aunt found inappropriate.

In another e-mail, a 14-year-old recovering anorexic expressed fears about backsliding. She said she was near death when first diagnosed at age 12.

Although anorexia nervosa usually develops during adolescence, a disturbing number of cases have been appearing in young--sometimes very young--children. The Mirror-Mirror Website notes that 40 percent of nine year-olds have dieted. The National Eating Disorders Screening Program reports that 81 percent of 10 year-olds are afraid of getting fat. According to eating disorders specialist Barton J. Blinder, M.D., anorexia has been observed in children as young as 4. He cites a Mayo Clinic study of 600 patients of all ages which found that three percent were prepubescent anorexics.

Blinder notes that because these children, most of whom are girls, have less body fat than their adolescent counterparts, they become skeletal more quickly. He therefore argues that a 15 percent weight loss, rather than the usual 25, should be a criterion for diagnosis.

On his website, Blinder reports studies suggesting that childhood-onset anorexia can delay puberty, growth, and breast development. He recommends that therapists work with a pediatrician to rule out other medical and psychological illnesses.

Families of young anorexics share many of the same characteristics of clans with older sufferers, such as rigidity and poor conflict resolution, notes Blinder. However, he cites a study by Sargent which found that only families of the prepubescents had a higher divorce rate than that of the general population.

A book on childhood anorexia nervosa is available from Psychology Press.

This problem is international. A report by the Stockholm County Council observes that 20 percent of Swedish first-graders are trying to lose weight. The percentage rises to 25 among fourth-graders, and 33 for those in seventh and eighth grades.

The Council notes that 10 percent of Swedish parents seek pediatric help for their eating disordered infants. Recognizing that no studies have been done in this area, the Council nevertheless suggests that allowing small children some control over when and how they take their food may reduce the risk of anorexia. If mothers introduce tasting portions at four months, the risk of eating disorders may be reduced by the child's first birthday, according to the Council.

Go To Page: 1 2

Articles in this Topic    Discussions in this Topic