Sara first heard “the voice,” the one that told her she was fat—much bigger than the other girls—the one that said she’d never be a real ballerina, at the tender age of five. She didn’t know how to discern this voice. As she grew into a teen, the voice became louder and stronger and she eventually developed an eating disorder.
Most disturbing is that in 2009, the government published data showing that children under twelve-years-old were the fastest-growing population of patients hospitalized for eating disorders. As educators and leaders, we are often in a prime position to notice changes in behavior and pull up the red flag.
Eating disorders are often taken too lightly. The symptoms are brushed off as an attention-seeking device or a fad that the person will eventually grow out of. This is usually not the case. Let me tell you personally, no one chooses to have an eating disorder, nor is it a "lifestyle" choice or a case of vanity.
As a bulimic I got stuck in the cycle of weight loss and emotional eating for seventeen years. The problem wasn’t really what I was eating, but what was eating me. My thinking was unmistakably twisted. I didn’t believe my Creator, who told me in his Word, “All beautiful you are, my darling; there is no flaw in you” (Song of Songs 4:7). All I saw were flaws because I compared myself to every famous female this culture put on a pedestal.
One high school boy complained, “Why do all the girls I like end up having eating disorders?” They want to be thin, because it represents success and love and power—which, of course, is a lie. The personal history is usually associated with low self-worth and self-esteem.
Eating disorders are serious with severe medical, nutritional, and psychological consequences.
According to statistics compiled by The Renfrew Center:
• Approximately half of high school girls are on a diet. Dieting is the most common behavior that leads to an eating disorder.
• 13 percent of high school girls binge and purge (bulimia).
• 30 to 40 percent of junior high girls worry about their weight.
In most junior and senior high schools, students are dieting even though, on average, they are not overweight. Dr. John Whyte, Chief Medical Expert and Vice President, Health and Medical Education at Discovery Channel, stated more than a third of normal dieters develop an eating disorder. "I always wanted to be the good girl. Good girls are skinny and happy. The bad girls are the fat ones," answered an eleven-year-old when asked why she starved herself to the point of hospitalization.
Add to this the growing trend online where people are actually promoting eating disorders. They call it "thinspiration." Most can't imagine it: web sites that teach and promote eating disorders. Termed pro-ana (anorexia) and pro-mia (bulimia), they proliferate the Internet. These diet predators are even blogging and sending Twitter updates right to a child’s mobile phone. Experts say there may be no way to stop them. Health professionals note an increase in the number of cases and have come to consider the Internet, or “pro-eating disorder” sites, to be a source of this increase.
Eating disorders are on the rise among children. The typical at-risk profile no longer fits. Given the increases in incidence and prevalence over the past decade the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) stated that all adolescents and preteens should be screened. In a report published online in the December, 2010 issue of Pediatrics, the AAP urges pediatricians to consider and evaluate for anorexia, bulimia, and other eating disorders during regular check-ups, and to be familiar with resources for treating eating disorders in their community.
Hospitalizations for eating disorders increased most among children under twelve years from 1999 to 2006, according to a federal analysis provided in the AAP report. Those particularly at risk include athletes and performers who participate in activities where being thin is rewarded. The good news from the report is, despite the potentially more critical consequences, adolescents typically have better outcomes than adults and recover fully.
Being completely comfortable with one’s body is ideal but perhaps not fully possible in a society such as ours, in which people are brought up to have a narrow view of what constitutes beauty. Still, we can take steps to counter the negative messages around us and within. First, pray!
Second, we must start talking and building up traits in young people that don’t evolve around personal appearance. The key is that the community as a whole must be part of the solution so each child repeatedly gets the same message that they are not their body. Third, look for the red flags: changes in eating, weight loss, growth retardation, and in girls old enough to be menstruating, loss of periods.
Dr. David S. Rosen, professor of adolescent medicine, pediatrics and internal medicine at the University of Michigan Health System, is an expert on eating disorders in kids. He added, “I would argue that we ought to recognize eating disorders before we see these symptoms. We should start to be concerned when children express weight concerns, when they talk about or start diets, or if their activity level suddenly rises outside of usual recreational or athletic activities.”
Dr. James Lock said the mean age seems to be going down for the onset of eating disorders. He stressed that "early referral is essential" to keep cases from becoming chronic. If a child exhibits signs start talking, be concerned and take action. Getting good information is an important first step. But don’t ambush her or him with well-meant but overly direct or critical questioning.
God must be at the center. Dr. Harold Koenig, founding Co-Director of Duke University’s Center for Spirituality, Theology and Health, states, based on research, that religious involvement is linked to a faster and more likely recovery from mental illnesses and substance abuse/dependence. I grew to know Jesus Christ as the healer of my soul and took back my life after receiving nourishment from the Bible. The healing Word provides the answers to cope with life and its challenges. Eating disorders are tough but beatable. “The Lord is the Spirit who gives them life, and where he is there is freedom” (2 Corinthians 3:17, TLB).
Kimberly Davidson received her M.A. in Specialized Ministry, Pastoral Care to Women Track, from Western Seminary and her B.A. from the University of Iowa. She is a board certified biblical counselor, personal life coach, speaker, and founder of Olive Branch Outreach—a ministry dedicated to bringing hope and restoration to those struggling with eating disorders and negative body image. She is the author of four books.