Eating disorders are increasingly common among young people between 12 and 24 years old, especially among women. Bulimia nervosa is an eating disorder that is characterized because the person who suffers from it has no control over food intake, eats large amounts of food in a short time and, subsequently, usually causes vomiting or uses laxatives to control and lower your body weight. There is great dissatisfaction with self-image and extreme concern about body shape and weight.
Because people who are in the adolescent stage are much more vulnerable to this type of disorders, it is very important to prevent their appearance from the family and the school environment, since by adopting a series of simple measures it is possible, in many times, avoid suffering from bulimia nervosa from childhood. In this PsychologyFor article, we are going to show in detail what these should be. prevention measures for bulimia nervosa.
Before seeing what the prevention measures are for bulimia nervosa, it is important that we are clear about what the alarm signals that can tell us that someone close to us may suffer from this eating disorder:
You have excessive concern about your physical image or body weight.
Sudden changes in body weight.
Binge eating, eating very quickly and a large amount of food in a very short period of time.
Inducing vomiting after eating. It can be detected if the person goes to the bathroom a lot after eating, if they have changes in tooth enamel, hand injuries, symptoms of dehydration, throat irritation, etc.
He usually avoids eating with people, especially at celebrations, and tends to eat alone.
He does not accept foods with many calories or rejects fatty, fried or sauced foods.
Count the calories you are going to eat at each meal.
Use laxatives, diuretics or enemas after meals.
He is out of control, has constant and sudden mood swings.
Depressive symptoms.
She is fatigued, weak and very tired.
He has low self-esteem.
He does intense physical exercise, especially after meals to burn the calories consumed and lose weight.
Her menstruation is irregular.
Prevention of bulimia in adolescents
Eating disorders such as bulimia nervosa are observed much more frequently in the adolescent stage, especially in women young people of between 12 and 24 years old. Its early detection and initiating appropriate psychological and medical treatment is essential to be able to combat and overcome them successfully.
Several studies have been carried out in which the importance of adopting a series of prevention measures from childhood and adolescence to avoid, as far as possible, the suffering of bulimia nervosa has been highlighted. According to specialists, these prevention measures for bulimia nervosa must be addressed in the family, school and social environment, since in the vast majority of cases this can make a difference and prevent its appearance.
In the family environment: The role of parents from childhood is of vital importance, since it is very important to provide good nutritional education from a young age, maintain good eating habits in the family, promote self-esteem and autonomy in children, and establish a good family environment in which children have complete confidence to talk to their parents about any issue that worries them.
In the school environment: It is also very important that teachers and professors are a source of useful information for parents and students. This can be done through informative talks and conferences, giving from childhood the appropriate techniques to develop personal and social skills, promote healthy living habits, appropriate and responsible behaviors, as well as a good relationship with other students. Both teachers and classmates can be a key element in detecting bulimia nervosa.
How to prevent bulimia from the family environment
Let’s now see what measures can be adopted from within the family to try to Prevent bulimia nervosa in children. In this case, prevention consists mainly of maintaining a good family relationship from childhood and promoting an environment that encourages dialogue between parents and children:
Teach children from a young age the importance of wearing good eating habits: follow a balanced and healthy diet (prevalence of vegetables and fruits and limitation of sweet, fried, fatty foods, fast food, etc.), establish fixed times to eat, distribute food over five meals a day in adequate portions, avoid skipping some food and do not snack between meals.
The simple fact of sharing mealtime with family It promotes a good family environment in which dialogue and conversation between different family members is encouraged.
Encourage children to do physical exercise since childhood and convey to them the importance of this habit for their health and physical fitness.
Promote self-esteem of the children so that, as they grow, they are a self-confident person and have the ability to accept their physical image.
Promote autonomy of children from a young age so that, in this way, they begin to have their own opinions and are not excessively affected by what others say about them or the messages about aesthetics and beauty standards that they receive through the media and the advertising.
Explain to them when necessary the reality and myths about these messages about physical image and instill in them that Health is the most important of everything. In this way, we will prevent achieving a “perfect image” from being one of your biggest concerns or goals.
Promote social relationships from childhood and encourage him to do extracurricular activities.
To procure Do not propose to achieve unattainable objectives or goals in the academic, sports or aesthetic field. The child’s mental capacity and physical constitution must always be taken into account, otherwise his self-esteem could be greatly affected.
In the event that children or adolescents have to lose weight, it is very important that they do so under medical supervision very strict.
Although on many occasions, parents, siblings or immediate family members may feel that they are interfering in the private life of their family member, it is very important that, at the slightest suspicion that they may be suffering from an eating disorder, they observe them closely and Take into account all the signs that we have mentioned in section 1. Only in this way can the affected person be helped and appropriate medical treatment initiated.
How to prevent bulimia in adolescents from the classroom
As we have mentioned previously, the other important area from which action must be taken to prevent bulimia nervosa is the academic. Teachers are adults who live with students daily and can easily observe any significant physical or psychological change that leads them to suspect that that person is suffering from an eating disorder. In addition to this, they are the right people to inform both parents and students about this type of disorders or they can organize conferences held by professionals who make known their consequences or how to act in these cases.
In this sense, from the classroom, the prevention measures for bulimia nervosa that can be adopted are the following:
Reject and deny misconceptions that a healthy body is excessively thin. The importance of accepting one’s own body should be highlighted and the appropriate knowledge and guidelines for this should be provided.
Facilitate the development of values ​​and interests that are different from those linked to physical image and aesthetics.
Promote the development of a critical attitude towards social stereotypes and all ideas or advertising images that promote weight loss as the “perfect physical image”.
Help students care about leading a healthy life and having good eating habits both at home and at school.
Development of personal and social skills.
Guidance in the management of emotions and promoting the ability to cope with difficulties or problems that arise in the family or school environment.
All these measures should be part of the educational program in the different schools, always taking into account that the contents and teaching are adapted to the ages of the students to whom they are directed.
This article is merely informative, at PsychologyFor we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
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