Coaches & Parents: Recognizing the Early Signs of Eating Disorders in Young Athletes and When to Seek Therapy
The prevalence of eating disorders is higher among athletes versus non-athletes. When it comes to having negative feelings about their body, it is popping up younger and younger. A colleague of mine recently did a post asking when folks first had negative feelings about their body and most said at the age of 11 to 13.
We know that exercise is healthy for kids. So then why is the prevalence of eating disorders in young athletes so high? Unfortunately, there often is not just one reason an eating disorder occurs but today we will get into how to help coaches and parents recognize the warning signs and understand when eating disorder therapy is needed.
Understanding Eating Disorders in Young Athletes
Sports that emphasize appearance or have weight requirements, such as gymnastics, diving, weight lifting, or wrestling make it more difficult for athletes to take the focus away from the size or shape of their body. Other risk factors include sports that focus more on the individual, instead of the whole team, endurance sports, participating in a more competitive level, coaches that emphasize success and performance instead of the individual person, and the dynamic of how injuries, pressure to perform, and disordered eating habits are shown within the team atmosphere.
These risk factors, however, can be fought against using what we call protective factors. These include things like, person-oriented coaching styles instead of performance-oriented or a sports culture that emphasizes the function of one’s body over appearance. Other protector factors include:
Awareness of eating disorders in all sports and how it can impact athletes
Having a positive coach-athlete relationship.
Coaches emphasizing the importance of mental health in the team culture.
Early intervention and referral to professionals for eating disorder support.
The Dangers of Eating Disorders in Young Athletes
RED’s or Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport is a condition that can impact athletes of all shapes, sizes, genders, and athletic abilities. RED-s is when there is low energy availability in the body, leaving there to be not enough energy to support the body’s ability to function properly. This can impact every system in the body from reproductive, cardiovascular, immune, and gastrointestinal. As an eating disorder therapist in Cherry Hill, NJ, I’ve seen firsthand how REDs can affect athletes both physically and mentally, and how crucial early intervention and support can be
Warning Signs
So what does this look like in an athlete? It can show up in ways of menstrual dysfunction, low bone density (leading to frequent bone injuries), unstable vital signs (think feeling dizzy or even passing out), getting sick often, difficulty recovering from workouts, stomach pain, and difficulties with growth and development in youth. These are just to name a few.
Other signs that you may notice may be more behavioral, such as avoiding meals or eating in front of others, compulsive exercise or workout outside of practice times, hiding or binge eating. You may also notice a sudden disinterest in participating in the sport they used to love.
Psychological signs may be more around shifts in mood. You may notice low self-esteem and increased anxiety around performance, an obsession around body shape or weight with irrational fears around gaining weight, or increased irritability and isolation. If you or someone you care about is experiencing any of these symptoms, Serendipity Counseling Services can help.
Recognizing When to Seek Therapy or Professional Help
Eating disorders in kids often do not start extremely restrictive. It tends to start more slowly with signs such as wanting to eat “healthier” or just eliminate certain foods, soon spiraling into everything mentioned above! If you notice your child dieting, that is often the first marker. Open up the conversation about food and bodies with curiosity, creating a safe place to them to go if they do need more support.
Seeking professional help can be difficult to know what or who is best. Know that your child does not need to be diagnosed with an eating disorder to need support. There are a few things to know about eating disorder support for kids.
Finding someone that knows about eating disorders is key.
The eating disorder is probably driving the ship. They will need your support in making healthy decisions.
Depending on where your child is in their recovery process they could seek help through support groups, individual therapy for eating disorders, or Family Based Therapy (FBT).
Support groups can be difficult to find for adolescents. However, ANAD offers free support groups every Tuesday at 7pm EST for Teens and Young Adults (24 and younger).
How Family Based Therapy (FBT) Can Help
Family Based Therapy for eating disorders is an evidenced based model for adolescents struggling with an eating disorder. FBT puts the parents in the driver's seat (instead of the eating disorder). It is about healing the entire family and creating a strong support network for your child’s recovery. FBT consists of three phases. Phase one emphasizes re-nourishment and refueling the body. Phase two focuses on giving control back to the child as they stabilize physically and phase three shifts to providing independence to the child (depending on age). An FBT therapist will help guide parents in how to support their child through each phase, such as during meal times, through resistance, and during emotional escalations.
Finding Support for your Child in Cherry Hill, New Jersey
Whether your child is struggling with an eating disorder or disordered eating, they may benefit from support form an eating disorder therapist. Here at Serendipity Counseling Services, we offer both individual therapy and Family Based Therapy for eating disorders in children. Take these steps to get support from us for your child:
Experience the relief of learning how to support your child through their eating disorder recovery.
Other Services for Eating Disorder Support in Cherry Hill, NJ
Beyond eating disorder therapy for individuals and families, we specialize in working with runners battling disordered eating through educational talks and support groups aimed specifically for athletes.
About the Author: A Trained Family Based Therapist in New Jersey
Kate Ringwood is a licensed therapist who specializes in supporting families through eating disorder recovery. She was trained through Standford in FBT and has been working for years to support families through their own unique journeys of recovery.
