Are you a Dad and worried your child has an eating disorder?

 

Being a parent never prepares us for some of the challenges we all face with our kids.

 

Disability, illness, communication problems, drugs and alcohol use, bullying and problems at school. These are some of the challenges we get thrown at us when we’re parents.

 

This Dad talks about how he found support when his daughter was diagnosed with an eating disorder at Princess Margaret Hospital in Perth.
Signs that something might be wrong:

 

• Dieting behaviour (e.g. fasting, constantly counting kilojoules, avoiding types of food)
• Eating in private and avoiding dealing with food with other people
• Binge eating and hoarding of food
• Frequent trips to the bathroom at meal times
• Vomiting, regularly using laxatives or appetite suppressants
• Changes in clothes worn like wearing baggy things
• Compulsive or over exercising
• Replacing meals with fluids
• Secretive behaviour around food including saying they have eaten when they haven’t or hiding uneaten food

You can find out more about eating disorders here.