Does My Daughter Have an Eating Disorder Quiz
Written by Bailey Saneman, RD, LDN
Takeaway: Are you worried about your child’s relationship with food and their body image? It's crucial to address any concerns you may have. This blog post offers a valuable tool to help you gain insight into potential warning signs of an eating disorder. Take our
“does my daughter have an eating disorder” quiz to better understand what they might be struggling with and to discover the resources you need to provide support.
Have you noticed changes in your child and their eating patterns? Many parents are aware of eating disorders, but often we don't think our own child could be at risk. Eating disorders affect about 12% of adolescent girls, and that statistic is sadly on the rise. Eating disorders are more serious than most of us realize, and the challenges they create extend beyond the food. They are mental health disorders that can impact the overall, long-term health and wellbeing of any child. Children may be struggling in secret, trying to grasp for control over their body weight/shape/size or seeking emotional regulation through potentially dangerous eating or exercise behaviors. Our eating disorder test can be used as an informative tool to help determine if your child may be suffering from poor body image, eating challenges, or disordered exercise. This test cannot provide an actual medical diagnosis and is not to be used in place of seeing a healthcare professional.
Regardless of the assessment results, trust your parental instincts on this matter- what led you to take this test in the first place? If you suspect your child may be struggling in their relationship with food, do not hesitate to seek help from a trusted professional who specializes in disordered eating. We would be happy to set up a quick phone call to help you find the support you deserve if you do not know where to start.
Understanding eating disorders
Eating disorders are serious mental health illnesses that can cause increased distress over certain foods, body shape, and body weight. Eating disorders can vary in symptoms and are often characterized by the individual using the behaviors as a means for control. For some adolescents, disordered behaviors begin to arise under the guise of being "healthy" but these very behaviors can soon increase the risk of serious health complications. As parents, it's important to know that our children may be showing the physical signs and symptoms related to their eating patterns, but warning signs can also be emotional and behavioral symptoms.
Anorexia Nervosa
Anorexia nervosa is characterized by restriction of overall food intake leading to weight loss. Individuals suffering often have a distorted sense of self, body image, and an intense fear of gaining weight. Your child may refuse to eat certain food groups, develop food rituals (compulsive behaviors used to help manage anxiety), or experience extreme mood swings. They also may be showing signs of stomach cramps, dizziness, sleeping problems, or fine hair (lanugo) on the body.
Bulimia Nervosa
Bulimia nervosa is characterized by binge eating (eating an abnormally large quantity of food in a short period of time leading to sickness or painful fullness), followed by a compensatory behavior such as purging (via vomiting, laxative use). Clients may also exercise excessively or restrict food in order to decrease anxiety or guilt that they may be feeling after binging. Unlike individuals with anorexia, adolescents with bulimia may not have the same intense weight fluctuations, but they often share the same fear around weight gain.
Binge-Eating Disorder
Binge-eating disorder shows up as recurrent binging episodes, eating a very large amount of food within a short period of time to a point of painful fullness or discomfort, without purging after. Individuals who binge often feel 'out of control', or say they experience tunnel vision while eating. This behavior can occur as a means of self-soothing or numbing from challenging emotions. Eating is often done in secret, and there is often a felt sense of shame that surrounds this challenging disorder. The prevalence of binge behavior is almost twice as high among females compared to males, and individuals who experience food scarcity or engage in dieting behaviors are more at risk.
Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID)
While a newer diagnosis, individuals with ARFID often struggle with having enough food intake and/or have very little variety. There is usually little to no body image concern, but rather, those with ARFID can separately experience a lack of interest in eating, sensory sensitivity (texture/taste/smell aversions), or a fear of adverse consequences from eating (choking, vomiting). Kids with ARFID are often labeled as "extreme picky eaters", but can experience low weight and significant nutritional deficiencies related to lack of variety and overall nutritional adequacy.
Does my child have an eating disorder quiz
Are you concerned that your loved one could be showing signs of an eating disorder? Our eating disorder test can help to identify if your child is potentially experiencing the behavioral, physical and psychological signs of an eating disorder. While this test cannot diagnose your child, it can be used to help identify areas of concern that warrant professional care. Our hope is that this assessment can help you better understand how your child is relating with food, movement, and their body, and guide you toward the next steps for supportive treatment options if needed.
Reminder from a registered dietitian
While this evaluation can illuminate potential areas that may need more attention and professional care, it is not a diagnostic tool and is not comprehensive in determining all risk factors of eating disorders.
If you frequently chose "yes" as the answer, your child may be experiencing disordered eating and/or exercise habits, and they could be at risk for developing an eating disorder. It is crucial to seek professional help from a clinician specialized in eating disorders or disordered eating. Even if you chose "no" for most of the questions, where risk of developing an eating disorder is not indicated, it is important to reflect on the observations that prompted you to take this quiz in the first place and consult with a healthcare professional about the concerns you have.
Rooted Recovery is here to support you and your child in their recovery.
At Rooted Recovery, our dietitians provide care for eating disorder recovery through individualized nutrition counseling. We are anti-diet, weight-inclusive practitioners that go beyond meal planning and one-size-fits all nutrition interventions. We will help you and your child to identify behaviors that cause anxiety, distress, or other difficult emotions around eating and implement skills and coping mechanisms to reestablish a peaceful, intuitive relationship with food. Seeking this kind of help for your child is the first step in supporting their eating disorder recovery. If you're unsure what to do next, or are looking for more answers, please reach out for a free 15-minute consultation today.