Eating Disorder At Five?

Eating disorders are commonly seen in teenagers, but it does not mean that they don’t occur in other age groups.
Recent studies report that eating disorders can actually be seen in children as young as five. And by eating disorders, they don’t just mean anorexia nervosa, but bulimia nervosa as well.

Before, most kids diagnosed with eating disorders only exhibit signs of anorexia, like restricting their diet or exercising a lot. Now, children below twelve years of age have taken it to the next level, for around ten percent of them actually throw up after eating–a most definite sign of binging and purging. Some smart kids even make use of laxatives.

The danger of these findings is that children need to eat more in order to have normal growth and development. If they don’t stop now, they are likely to continue their unhealthy eating practices until adolescence – if they survive their illness.