As a parent, you know your child best. If you suspect your child has a binge eating disorder (BED) , there are a number of steps that you can take to support their recovery.
Seek treatment
It is important to seek treatment as soon as you suspect BED. Early treatment is the best possible way to recovery. If a health-care provider determines that a person has BED, they will arrange for appropriate care. Eating disorder care is usually done with multiple health-care professionals including a paediatrician, adolescent medicine specialist, family doctor or nurse practitioner, nurses, dietitians, psychologists, psychiatrists, and social workers who specialize in treating children and teens with eating disorders.
Most adolescents with BED can be treated as an outpatient. This can be done in an outpatient clinic or in a specialized eating disorder program.
The main goals of treatment for BED are to:
- reduce binges
- address the emotions that occur with or just before a binge
- help the adolescent eat regularly
- help the adolescent feel more in control of their eating
Binge eating disorder is most commonly treated with a therapy called cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). CBT involves working with a therapist to help the young person learn to replace negative thought patterns and behaviours with more positive and helpful behaviours. Sometimes the therapy will also involve the patient’s family, as they can help the patient regulate their eating and offer support.
If your child is experiencing depression or anxiety in addition to BED, the health-care team may suggest other treatments for those mental health disorders. Sometimes the health-care team may also suggest medication. Antidepressants can help with depression or anxiety and can sometimes also help with urges to binge.
Be a healthy role model
As a parent or caregiver, you are a role model for your children. It is important to promote not only a healthy body image in children but also to show that you have a healthy body image. Avoid saying negative things about your physical appearance and weight. Instead, focus on what your body can do and on your positive attributes that have nothing to do with appearance.
Share healthy messages about food
Dieting can often lead to binge eating behaviour because it involves restricting or cutting out certain foods. If your child is depriving themselves of food, or is encouraged to do so, they are more likely to binge.
Part of being a healthy role model is sharing healthy messages about food. You can do this by adopting a diet-free culture at home. Minimize talk about good or bad foods and focus instead on the benefits of food for overall health. Emphasizing health and nutrition, rather than fat content and calories, will help your child develop a healthy relationship with food.
Create a regular pattern of family mealtimes
Make eating meals together as a family a priority, starting when your child is young. Eating as a family also promotes strong family bonds and better communication.
People who binge may have chaotic eating schedules. As a parent, you can help by providing the structure needed to stop the binge episodes.
Create structure around mealtimes and schedule frequent meals and snacks throughout the day (for example, three meals and two snacks) so your child eats regularly. Avoid skipping meals.
Supervise your child at certain times of day
If you notice that your child is more likely to binge at certain times of the day (for example, in the evening) or in specific situations (such as during exams), consider supervising them and offering more support during these times.
Make smaller but more frequent shopping trips
If you notice food disappearing from your cupboards or fridge more quickly than usual, try to limit the amount of food in your house at any one time. This means making smaller but more frequent grocery shopping trips.
Also limit your child's access to spending money if you are concerned they will buy food and binge when unsupervised.
Sleep hygiene
Help your child maintain good sleep hygiene. This means following a bedtime routine that allows your child to get enough sleep each night so that they are well rested and do not confuse tiredness for hunger the next day.
Good sleep hygiene includes:
- avoiding electronic devices in the hour or two before bedtime
- using the bed only for sleeping (rather than studying or going online)
- having suitable lighting in the room
- using a comfortable bed and suitable bedding, such as blankets in the winter
- going to bed and getting up at the same time every day
- allowing time to wind down before bedtime
Further information
For more information on binge eating disorder (BED), please see the following pages:
Obesity: Medical complications
Resources
NEDIC – National Eating Disorder Information Centre (Canada)
NEDA – National Eating Disorder Association (United States)
American Academy of Pediatrics – Eating Disorders in Children
B-EAT – Beating Eating Disorders (United Kingdom)
Kelty Eating Disorders (Kelty Mental Health Resource Centre, BC Children's Hospital)
Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario – Eating Disorders
Kids Help Phone – kidshelpphone.ca
Kids Help Phone is a 24/7 e-mental health service offering free, confidential support to young people.