Some Warning Signs of a Teen Bulimic

Thankfully I am recovered now, but I spent my teens, twenties and a goodly chunk of my thirties struggling with bulimia. Unfortunately, for a variety of reasons, during my formative years others missed the warning signs and I was able to slip through the net into full-blown bulimia. That is why I would like to share some of those signs with you in the hope that it will help you identify them in a loved one and take action before the disease can take grip.

Like any eating disorder, bulimia doesn't just happen over night. In fact years before I began my bulimic behaviors I had already become very insecure about my appearance. By the 4th grade I was weighing myself constantly. I would suck in my stomach whenever I felt self-conscious. I'd compare myself to the other girls in my class and assume they were much happier and more "worthy" than me because they were thinner. 

By the age of 13 I no longer just fantasized about being thin, I had taken drastic action by binging and purging anywhere from 3-5 times a day. Yes, it took hold that quickly and I have talked to many other sufferers who fell into their full-blown disease just as dramatically. While it is not always the case that things spiral this quickly, my point is a simple one, you need to catch it as early as possible because dealing with a full-blow eating disorder after the fact is obviously that much harder.

So here are some things that I did as a pre-teen and young teen that you can look out for if you suspect someone is starting to struggle with bulimia:

• Dieting - this can be a gateway to an eating disorder and the statistics are a 95% failure rate in most diets - so a vulnerable pre-teen or teen going on diets is particularly dangerous and damaging to their self-esteem. So if you notice dieting behavior with your child talk to them - not so much about the diet but rather about how they are feeling about themselves and what is going on in their life.
  
• Frequent trips to the bathroom - if you notice that your child spends a lot of time in the bathroom before school, after school, after meals, even during the night, you can ask them in a non-confrontational way whether everything is ok or whether they are having any stomach or other health issues - important is to open up a dialog. 
• Stomach problems - if they seem to be constantly having stomach problems and particularly if they start using over-the-counter stomach medicine, especially laxatives 
• Constipation - if they complain of constipation or start using laxatives etc. 
• Constantly sick - if they are getting sick a lot, seem rundown, sore throats, coughs, fevers etc. this can be a sign that their body's immune system is being degraded.
• Depression - if they stay in their room for hours at a time, seem to have little interest in social activities and generally seem to prefer their own company.

A word of caution, if you do suspect that your child is displaying some of the warning signs of an eating disorder please, please, please take time first to educate yourself on the best way of approaching and talking to them. Don't charge straight in as this will likely result in the child withdrawing. I recommend you go to the National Eating Disorder Association site and access their parent toolkit first.

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