Anorexia Nervosa

You said that you were concerned that your child does not eat enough. You also said that your child has some of the following problems related to eating and weight:

• S/he has lost a lot of weight.
• S/he is not gaining as much weight as s/he should for his/her age/height.
• Even though s/he is thin, s/he may be very afraid of becoming fat.
• She may diet even though s/he doesn't need to.
• S/he may exercise a lot to try to lose more weight.
• S/he may not think s/he has a problem even though s/he is very thin.
• Even though s/he diets s/he may think about food all the time.
• For Girls: She may have stopped menstruating (if she had started).

Your child may have a very serious eating disorder called Anorexia. This type of problem is becoming more and more common in teenage girls and young women. In the US, about 1 out of every 150 young women has this kind of problem.

Sometimes family members do not know that their child has these problems. S/he may hide it from others. If you think that your child has this problem it is very important to get help right away. A child with this problem may try to starve him/herself. This can do a lot of harm to the child's body and may lead to big medical problems or death.

American Academy of Pediatrics (1996). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Primary Care. Elk Grove Village, Illinois: Author.

American Psychiatric Association (APA) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders: Fourth Edition (1994).

AACAP Facts for Families
Available:
http://www.aacap.org/publications/factsfam/eating.htm
(April 8, 2004)