The Subtle Trap of Eating Disorders

Discussing the subtle traps of eating disorders on Parent Choices for Struggling Teens, Lon Woodbury and his co-host, Larry Stednitz welcomed their guest, David Hirshberg, the Executive Director of Germaine Lawrence, a residential treatment center for girls ages 12-18 located in Massachusetts. With first clarifying what an eating disorder is and how they develop, David believes there are so many causes as to why an eating disorder starts: dieting, depression, anxiety, dealing with a loss, trauma, parental pressure to 'be the best' or the compulsion to be thin. Obsession with food or even the belief that they don't deserve food may be only one avenue to an eating disorder. These young girls and women believe that starving themselves solves these problems and their choice to eat or not eat is the one thing they can control. A serious eating disorder defined by David is "girls starving themselves so much, they have lost over 25% of their body weight."

When asked why forcing these young women to eat won't solve the problem, David shared that the eating disorder develops "a voice of its own" and becomes a disease such as cancer or diabetes. It is then, that these girls need help in overpowering the disorder. There are significant warning signs for parents to watch for, these include significant weight loss and the obsession or 'rituals' that their child goes through in eating food that were not present before�things that seem really odd, the use or abuse of laxatives, compulsive exercising to burn calories, purging, water loading or even throwing their food under the table or into the trash. Eating disorders such as anorexia have become epidemic in our country, and aneorexia is one of the most life-threatening mental disorders.

As in earlier decades, the common gender for an eating disorder has been female, but that ratio is rising among young men. For both male and females, an eating disorder gives them a sense of confidence and control. With kids in this generation growing up faster, there is so much more pressure for them to succeed which creates stress. These kids find they can control their eating and become perfectionist. "Parents don't want to see it as a problem and are often in denial until it gets to be life threatening. Parents have to take control and take their child to the pediatrician or doctor. Often, hospitalization is needed to get the weight up. But the child needs longer term care to get to the underlying issues and problems in addition to gaining weight. Individual and family therapy are necessary."

David went on to share some very honest and real examples of some of the success stories of the young girls who had attended Germaine Lawrence, who battled and overcame their struggles with an eating disorder.

To listen to the full interview go to: The Subtle Trap of Eating Disorders on LATalkRadio.
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Lon Woodbury is the owner/founder of Woodbury Reports Inc. and www.strugglingteens.com. He has worked with families and struggling teens since 1984 and is the host of Parent Choices for Struggling Teens on LATalkRadio Mondays at 12:00pm, Pacific Time, Channel One.

Larry Stednitz Ph.D. is an Independent Educational Consultant and an affiliate of Woodbury Reports. He is located in Morro Bay, California and co-hosts some of the Parent Choices for Struggling Teens Internet Talk Radio Shows.

David Hirshberg, EdD received his undergraduate degree from Brown University and his Doctoral degree from Harvard's Graduate School of Education. In 1979, David was hired to turn around the then troubled school-St. Anne's School, a boarding school for girls, founded in 1928. In 1980, Germaine Lawrence School (renamed) was established as a residential treatment center. The name, Germaine Lawrence, was chosen in honor of Mother Germaine, the Mother Superior of the Order of St. Anne, and her family (the Lawrence's) who had contributed significantly to St. Anne's School. In 2010, David Hirshberg was named Employer of the Year by the National Association of Social Workers Massachusetts Chapter.

This segment was sponsored by Spring Ridge Academy, 928-632-4602, www.springridgeacademy.com, a Therapeutic Boarding School for Girls in Arizona.