While the number of people who suffer from anorexia has not changed dramatically over the years, the profile of the girls who are presenting with the condition has. “The illness is starting at a younger age,” says Mima Simic,
Eisler’s message to parents is simple: If you are worried that your child might be developing an eating disorder, go to a specialist immediately, he says. “Don’t wait and see where it will go.”
“The longer you have the disorder, the harder it is to recover,” Simic says, noting that changes in the brain may be harder to reverse (though not impossible).
Musby has seen all sorts of outcomes. “For some it is treated and it goes, and that’s the end of it,” she says. “For some there is one to two relapses and then it goes. And for some it is something they have to control all their life.”
We have clinicians at Myrtle Oak Clinic who are specifically trained Maudsley Family Therapists of which is the therapy model this article speaks of. Our Mental Health Social Worker and Accredited Practising Dietitian have both received a 4 day intensive training program with Ivan Eisler, the other co-head of the eating disorders unit at Maudsley, and one of the doctors who helped pioneer changes in how the illness is treated.
If you are at all concerned about your child and think that they may have an eating disorder or may be displaying signs and symptoms of an eating disorder do not delay. Please call us and we can help you access a specialised eating disorder clinician 43623443.
Anorexic before the age of 13: What parents need to know
