Childhood anorexia is an eating disorder in which the child refuses to eat, and may or may not be accompanied by vomiting after eating food, in children up to 12 years of age. It can happen in children from the first year of life and tends to be even stronger when parents insist on the child to eat.
When a lack of appetite is not caused by illness or poor eating habits created in the family environment, what the child wants is usually attention, and by doing so by rejecting food, it tends to repeat that attitude, so that attention.
Thus, in order to treat childhood anorexia, it is necessary to work together with the pediatrician and psychologist, who can identify the cause of anorexia and thus direct the treatment.
How is the treatment done?
To treat childhood anorexia is carried out psychotherapy and re-education of the child's eating habits, a process that is slow and requires dedication of the family, because, most of the time, what the child needs is to feel safe and loved.
The use of medications, such as antidepressants, may be necessary when the child has severe depression or anxiety, and is guided by the child psychiatrist. Hospitalization may be necessary when lack of food causes impairment of the child's physical health, such as anemia or difficulty walking, for example.
Treatment should be done as soon as possible once the disease is identified because, although it is fleeting most of the time, anorexia can worsen and cause other more serious psychological disorders, such as obsessive compulsive disorder and severe depression.
However, in most cases, improvement can be noted with the reorganization of the family to improve eating habits, and for this, there are some strategies.
Here are some strategies to increase appetite and make your child eat meals:
How to make a child eat better
It is intended to provide the child with a healthy and balanced diet, but should let her eat as much food as she wants, as a way to make her more comfortable with food. So she will keep in mind that eating is a pleasure rather than an obligation, improving the picture of anorexia.
Do not force your child to eat, or offer tasty, but unhealthy foods such as ice cream, chips, cookies, or chocolate after a child refuses a plate of food.
Giving attention to the child, how to get her to walk, tell a story, walk hand in hand, cuddle and play with her every day or whenever possible are some ways to show love to the child so she can sense and feel That's fine.
Learn other nutritionists' recommendations to help your child eat better at: How to open your child's appetite. What to do in childhood anorexia
Causes of Childhood Anorexia
Childhood anorexia, in which the child is already worried about not gaining weight at an early age, is very much related to the behavior and example of parents, friends and television in relation to food, especially when there are already people with anorexia in the family, since it is with them that the child can learn or hear negative comments like that the food is fattening or that the food is bad.
It may also be related to verbal abuse and aggression with the child, or other situations in which she begins to have an early concern with the body.
However, there are other causes of loss of appetite that are more common, and may be associated with problems such as:
- Tooth growth;
- Diseases;
- Irritability;
- Anxiety;
- Depression;
- Ingestion of medications;
- Indigestion;
- Fear of proving something new.
Another important cause of loss of appetite is the presence of poor family eating habits, where there is no right time to eat, or when the child is accustomed to eating only goodies.
In this case, it is not anorexia itself, but a syndrome of selective feeding, a situation in which the child only eats some food, having an aversion to others. Learn more about Selective Eating Disorder.
In addition, between 12 and 24 months, it is normal for the child to eat less less than he ate before, which is a normal condition called physiological anorexia in the second year of life. And to keep this picture from lingering longer, parents need to let the child eat as much food as she wants, no matter what time she chooses, not making mealtime a "horror movie."
See also, other ways of differentiating the eating problems that may arise in childhood.
Signs that can indicate anorexia in the child
Symptoms of childhood anorexia can be:
- Refusal to eat constantly or at certain times of the day;
- Prolonged fasting;
- Present a lot of anxiety;
- Present sadness and disinterest, which may indicate depression;
- Have weakness;
- To be fat, even if thin.
In the presence of these symptoms, it is recommended that the parents seek the consultation with the pediatrician, so that the reasons are investigated, and for the proper treatment, preventing the child from having its development compromised.
