Treatment of anorexia in children. Poor appetite or anorexia in children? Photos, causes and signs of the development of a dangerous psychological illness. Consequences of childhood anorexia

Anorexia in infants or infantile anorexia is a very common disorder. Anorexia occurs in almost a third of children aged zero to three years. Almost always the cause of the disease is force feeding. The baby is forced to eat when he is not hungry, forced to eat not what he wants and not in the quantity required. As a result, the child develops a negative attitude towards food and the process of eating.

Anorexia in infants, like many diseases, develops gradually. There are common reasons for decreased appetite in children, such as: heat in summer, acute respiratory diseases, gastrointestinal disorders. Usually parents become nervous because the child does not eat. Refusal to eat is regarded as a whim that must be dealt with. The baby, in turn, does not want to eat and does not give in. Children do not understand concepts such as “need to eat” and do not know what “healthy foods” are. All parental attempts to force feed the child are perceived as undeserved punishment, which the child diligently tries to avoid. Any form of behavior in children is remembered quite quickly. After repeating such forced feedings, the child’s kitchen will forever turn into a battlefield.

Types of anorexia.

There are several types of anorexia, which are formed according to the manifestations of infantile anorexia nervosa:

• Dysthymic anorexia. In this case, the child at the table demonstrates his dissatisfaction in every possible way;
• Regurgitant anorexia. The child begins vomiting immediately after eating, but there is no reason to believe that this can be caused by a disease of the gastrointestinal tract;
• Refusal to eat. The baby may turn away and not open his mouth, or even spit out food. He begins to be mischievous and refuse foods that are appropriate for his age, such as cereals or vegetables. And, conversely, demand unique products, such as lemon. The baby may refuse to eat foods that need to be chewed.

Treatment of anorexia.

If you develop anorexia in infancy, you need to take immediate action. Actions to take if signs of anorexia appear in children:

1. Diet. Eating food at a time contributes to the appearance of appetite, but there is no need to be particularly scrupulous in following the regime; if the child is not hungry, you can move lunch to half an hour or an hour later, and vice versa, if the child is hungry, you can feed it a little earlier;

2. Give your baby food in small portions. It is better to add supplements later, if required;

3. The child should not be forced to finish eating;

4. Don't force your child to eat food he doesn't like. Especially if the baby sees a much more delicious dish. While he is eating soup or main course, there should be no sweets or desserts on the table;

5. The child should sit at the table for no more than half an hour. If you haven’t eaten much during this time, you will get hungry faster for the next feeding;

6. Create a ritual that accompanies the meal. You may have to temporarily feed the baby in the room rather than in the kitchen;

7. Offer unfamiliar food in small portions so that the child has the opportunity to form his own attitude towards new products;

8. If possible, the child should be offered several dishes to choose from;

9. You should not scold your child while eating; you should not make the process of eating a punishment. It is advisable not to sort things out between each other while the baby is eating.

10. Do not give your child snacks; there should always be full meals.

The most important thing is calm and patience. Over time, everything will return to normal and problems with anorexia in children will disappear.

In this article we will look at what childhood anorexia is, its causes, types, and methods of combating it. The phenomenon is not so rare; now it occurs all the time. Treatment must be approached with great seriousness. This is due to the fact that a child’s body suffers from anorexia much more seriously than an adult.

What is anorexia?

We will look at the symptoms of the problem later in the article. First you need to understand what the disease is. This disorder is neurotic in nature. It manifests itself as a decrease in appetite and is associated with a child. Unfortunately, at the moment the disease is more common not even among professional fashionistas, but among ordinary children. Schoolchildren are more susceptible to the problem than teenagers.

How to recognize the problem?

Every person, including children, experiences a feeling of hunger several times throughout the day. This is a signal that it is time to take another meal. When someone feels hungry, they associate foods with foods on a subconscious level. Everyone imagines the pleasure that eating porridge or dessert will bring.

However, there are problems associated with eating behavior. One child may constantly feel hungry, so he needs to chew something all day long, while others refuse all foods except their favorite foods. And there are those children who have no desire to eat, they have no appetite. It is this disorder that leads to childhood anorexia.

The problem manifests itself differently in each child. Some just cry and don’t want to sit down at the table, others start to get hysterical and spit out their food. For others, the problem is a little more serious - nausea and vomiting begin after eating. However, in any case, such behavior is a serious deviation, so you need to fight it. Forcing a child to eat is not the best way to solve the problem.

Types of anorexia

There are several types of childhood anorexia. The first is somatogenic. This problem is associated with the development of any diseases in the body. These could be infections, problems with the digestive tract, or oral diseases. Respiratory and circulatory disorders also lead to the development of anorexia. Other causes include chronic intoxication, allergies and worms. Therefore, if a child suddenly stops eating, then he urgently needs to be examined to identify the problem. All signs and symptoms of anorexia should disappear when the underlying disease is completely eliminated.

The second type of problem is neurotic. The reasons in this case are stress, improper sleep patterns and the day in general. However, a diagnosis can only be made after a thorough examination.

Causes of Anorexia Nervosa

Factors that can provoke anorexia of the neurotic type include problems with parents, constant threats from them, especially if they are related to food intake. The problem can be caused by the child’s excessive spoiling, or rather, by his improper upbringing. Negative events in a child’s life have a particularly strong impact on his appetite. If parents constantly quarrel in the kitchen, or force them to eat food too rudely, then over time the baby will lose his appetite on a subconscious level. Severe stress can also lead to childhood anorexia. Depending on how the parents react to the problem, anorexia may go away in a week or may last for several years. When we talk about severe stress, we mean the loss of loved ones, separation from parents, or severe fright while eating.

Symptoms

The two main manifestations that suggest the development of anorexia are weight loss due to lack of appetite.

However, other symptoms may also occur. Childhood anorexia can manifest itself as nausea and vomiting before/after meals, problems with sleep, teeth and gums, lethargy, and behavior that is atypical for a child during meals (turning plates, hysterics). Irritability and moodiness are also symptoms.

It is imperative to pay attention to how many times the child refuses to eat and whether the symptoms recur. Sometimes children try to attract attention in this way, so this behavior often ends after three or four days. You can seek medical help after a week if symptoms do not go away. You should immediately rush to see a specialist if the child does not eat anything for several days and suddenly, rapidly loses weight.

Treatment

Given all the symptoms of childhood anorexia, treatment may be completely unexpected. The doctor will treat each child differently, as therapy depends on the primary problem.

First of all, you need to eliminate all the reasons that led to the development of the problem. Moreover, parents play a large role in therapy, since their task is to create the most favorable conditions for the child in the family. The baby should develop a good attitude towards eating and develop good eating habits. It is imperative to take into account all previous mistakes so as not to repeat them and make the situation even worse.

Psychotherapy at home

Parents must provide the child with a correct and precise feeding regimen. The deviation can be no more than half an hour. In between meals, the baby is not allowed to give any sweets, so as not to kill his appetite. In order for the desire to eat to increase, it is better to offer the child to rest half an hour before meals. This will allow him to tune in to eating.

Considering that the child is easily distracted, during meals you need to turn off the TV, put away phones and tablets, toys, goodies, and books. It is advisable to arrange the dish in a playful way to make it more interesting for the baby to eat. To prevent the portion size from seeming too large, you need to use huge plates.

If a child refuses to eat, there is no need to yell at him. Under no circumstances should punishment be used. This way the baby’s condition will not improve. You need to agree with the child and wait for the next meal. If you have problems swallowing, you can wash your food down with water. However, sips should not be large, so as not to lose your appetite.

Treatment with medications

When the first signs and symptoms of anorexia appear, treatment should begin immediately. In some cases, medications are prescribed. In advanced situations, the baby may be admitted to the hospital.

Medicines are prescribed that help saturate the body with vitamins and iron. Ascorbic acid, tinctures of mint, wormwood, and valerian are prescribed. Sometimes hydrochloric acid is used, which is mixed with pepsin, and various enzymes.

We must remember the fact that anorexia is an insidious disease. The older the child is, the easier it will be for him to cope with the problem. This is especially due to the fact that babies need a lot of substances and minerals for the proper development of the body.

Anorexia in newborns (up to 1 year)

Anorexia is the most difficult to diagnose in young children because newborns may cry and refuse to eat for a variety of reasons.

The reasons for the development of such a problem in them include an incorrectly chosen formula, congenital diseases, incorrectly introduced first complementary foods, as well as breast milk with an insufficient level of fat content. These are psychogenic causes. Somatogenic includes a longer list. The causes of anorexia include trauma during childbirth, prematurity, problems with the central nervous system, and encephalopathy associated with the quantitative composition of bilirubin in the body. In most cases, anorexia is caused by congenital diseases of the oral cavity and the body as a whole, as well as hereditary problems.

Symptoms of anorexia in newborns

The causes of childhood anorexia in babies have already been clarified, but how does it manifest itself? Given that a child's refusal can be the result of various diseases, and not specifically anorexia, parents should pay attention to other factors.

If the baby cries or fidgets while eating, constantly spits up without any existing digestive diseases, does not latch onto the breast, greedily grabs the pacifier and spits it out, you should urgently consult a pediatrician.

Treatment of anorexia in newborns

Treatment of childhood anorexia in newborns should be carried out only after a diagnosis has been made. If the cause is some underlying disease, it should be urgently eliminated. If anorexia develops due to improper feeding regimen, then you will have to change food.

In newborns, a similar problem must be eliminated as quickly as possible, since it is in the first year of life that the child’s internal organs and systems are formed, and with anorexia there is a 98% chance that complications will arise.

Anorexia in children from 1 to 3 years old

A child aged 1-3 years begins to gradually enter society; he learns to speak and walk. At this age, anorexia rarely appears due to congenital problems, since they usually appear after childbirth. Psychological factors also do not play a special role here, since at this age children are not yet particularly aware of the death of relatives or the divorce of their parents.

Therefore, in most cases, the cause of anorexia in a child is the incorrect feeding mechanism of the child. When parents try to force their child to eat and constantly lecture about how healthy it is, in a raised voice, the child becomes disgusted. In the most advanced cases, vomiting may begin only at the sight of soup or porridge.

Symptoms of anorexia in children from 1 to 3 years old

The article contains photos of childhood anorexia. It can manifest itself through active refusal to eat or passive. The child’s first method of detecting reluctance to eat can be manifested by fighting, throwing plates on the floor, clenching his lips, which prevents him from putting a spoon with food in his mouth. Passive refusal is manifested by strange actions on the part of the child. He may refuse adult food, but at the same time take water into his mouth or constantly eat lemons.

Treatment of anorexia in children from 1 to 3 years old

As a rule, by this age a child develops incorrect eating habits, which can only be corrected with painstaking work. At this age, medications are rarely used, since the reason for the child’s protest is the desire to show parents that they are wrong in something. Therefore, during therapy you need to be patient.

Anorexia in preschool children (from 4 to 7 years old)

Children's psyche develops quite quickly, and they are able to assess their surroundings as soon as they turn 5 years old. The symptoms of childhood anorexia and treatment will be severe, since often the problem is caused by some pathological process that develops against the background of another problem. The cause of nutrition problems can be any stress experienced. These could be conflicts at home, in kindergarten, on the street, severe fear, parental divorce, the death of a loved one, physical or sexual violence, fear of school.

Along with the main symptoms (weight loss and refusal to eat), the child may have insomnia, lethargy, dizziness, autism, constipation, skin problems and urinary incontinence.

Treatment of anorexia in preschool children

Treatment, as a rule, requires only psychotherapeutic techniques. You can drink soothing teas, infusions of mint, lemon balm, and lavender. The latter must be weak, otherwise side effects may begin. The doctor may prescribe Glycine, Citral, Persen and other drugs.

If a child has severe problems with eating, he may be prescribed tranquilizers. They should only be taken under the supervision of a doctor.

Psychotherapists are often invited to treat childhood anorexia. There are a lot of good specialists in Moscow and other cities who can help solve the problem. A preschooler should feel that his parents love and value him.

Anorexia in children from 8 to 10 years old

Anorexia in a child of this age category may be a borderline problem. And if at a younger age both boys and girls went to the doctor in equal proportions, then already at the age of 8-10, more and more representatives of the fairer sex suffer from the described problem.

The reasons may be related to socialization. If we are talking about girls, then early menstruation can also be a provoking factor. The little ones have a desire to be as beautiful and slender as their aunt or mother. The meaning of diets has not yet dawned on them, but they grasp the logic: to become the same, you either need to eat little or stop eating altogether. The second most popular reason is stress.

Anorexia at this age will not manifest itself as clearly as in children. Children will brush off eating because of homework or other commitments. Therefore, the main task of parents is to identify the problem in time and quickly solve it.

Photos of childhood anorexia cause horror in every person. To get rid of the problem, you will have to turn to psychologists, since at this age the child is aware of everything, and it will not be possible to correct the situation quickly and easily.

The term " anorexia" means lack of appetite in the presence of a physiological need for nutrition. We were talking about anorexia nervosa (psychogenic) as a deliberate, conscious restriction of food intake for the purpose of losing weight, which is usually accompanied by excessive physical activity, taking emetics, laxatives and diuretics and various drugs that reduce appetite. This condition, as the reader already knows, belongs to the group of general neuroses. However, the problem of child nutrition is not limited to this condition. Almost every mother, when feeding her child, starting from the first months of his life, periodically encounters problems with food or liquid intake. In some cases, this may be a periodic refusal to breastfeed or eat independently, in others - a decrease in appetite or, conversely, a sharply increased feeling of hunger (excessive appetite), which is accompanied by overeating. The latter condition is designated as bulimia (Greek bus - bull + limos - hunger), kinorexia (Greek kyon, kynos - dog + orexis - desire to eat, appetite), polyphagia (Greek polys - many, many, more than normal + phogia - eat), where the Russian term “wolfish appetite” comes from, etc. Consequently, there are many different eating disorders, especially in childhood, and an abundance of medical terminology to refer to them.

In most cases, they are caused by specific diseases of the nervous or endocrine system, internal organs, especially the gastrointestinal tract, or temporary, transient disorders, for example, severe pain of various localizations, nausea, dizziness, mental or physical fatigue and many other reasons. There is no need to describe in detail all these disorders of “eating behavior” (according to V.V. Kovalev) in children, since this is not part of the goals and objectives of our book on neuroses.

In this section we will talk about disorders manifested by refusal of food in children, mainly of early and preschool age, when there is no specific organic disease, and refusal to eat or loss of appetite occurs in response to the child being offered adequate food by a competent person caring for him. Anorexia in this case is primary in nature and is caused by neurotic disorders, i.e. is psychogenic.

A specific psychotraumatic effect that causes anorexia neurotic is the improper upbringing of a child in the form of insufficient attention to him or, conversely, overprotection with the fulfillment of all whims and caprices, parental anxiety regarding feeding and the desire for him to eat more, and the use of coercion and even punishments. The child’s appetite is negatively affected by irregular feeding and taking a large number of sweets, using
various promises and incentives, for example, “eat another piece - we’ll go for a walk outside or buy ice cream,” etc.

I have seen how, while feeding a child in the first years of life, the whole family gathers: at first, when he eats, everyone admires him, praises him, rejoices, and as soon as the pace of eating slows down and he pushes the dishes away from him, distractions and persuasion begin - grandfather dances, pretends to be a bunny or a horse, grandma sings, mom picks up a book to read an interesting story after an extra meal. Sometimes this has a temporary effect: the child eats more, has difficulty swallowing, and it ends with nausea or vomiting, after which general anxiety sets in.

Parents resort to whatever tricks they can to force their child to eat more. This is figuratively described in the book by R. Illingworth “Healthy Child. Some problems of the first years of life and their treatment” (1997): “In countless homes there is a daily battle. On one side there are advances: persuasion, persuasion, flattery, hoax, sucking up, requests, shaming, scolding, nagging, threats, bribes, punishment, pointing and demonstrating delicious food, crying again or pretending to cry, playing the fool, singing songs, telling stories and showing picture books, turning on the radio, beating the drums, as soon as the child takes a spoon with food, in the hope that he will swallow it and not spit it out, the grandmother even dances - all this is regularly repeated many times every day. On the other hand, the little tyrant resolutely holds the line and refuses to surrender or surrenders on his terms. His main weapons of defense are vomiting and lounging around."

External manifestations of anorexia neurotic are usually of the same type: at first the child eats only his favorite food, refuses previously usually eaten dishes, chews slowly, swallows with difficulty, wanting to quickly finish this unpleasant procedure. His mood is low, he whines and is capricious. Gradually, a negative conditioned reflex is developed when eating food, when just the mention of food causes nausea and the urge to vomit. This condition can drag on for weeks and months, the child stubbornly refuses to eat and even loses some body weight, although pronounced physical exhaustion practically does not occur.

Based on our observations, we have formed the opinion that anorexia neurotic is more common in economically well-off families with one child raised as an “idol”, who do not have medical knowledge about the developmental characteristics of children and have a low level of cultural development. They have a single household principle - to eat tasty, nutritious and plentiful food, in other words, anorexia in children occurs where there is an opportunity to eat well. In the presence of
several children or in large families with low economic
anorexia is much less common.

In many cases, the onset of anorexia is caused by the parents themselves. This begins already in the first year of life when the child is transferred to artificial feeding.
or with the start of complementary feeding (usually at 5 months). Mothers usually focus on weight gain in the first months of life. They think that the child will gain the required weight if he eats well. If this is not the case, then they often resort to violence - they hold the child by the nose and force a spoon into his mouth. Naturally, this causes crying, screaming, and resistance. Repeating this procedure quickly causes an aversion to food.

It is also necessary to remember that the average body weight of a child of a certain age cannot be absolutely the same for everyone. Birth weight must be taken into account, especially in premature infants. In addition, children's appetite can vary, as can the speed at which they eat.

Treatment and prevention of anorexia in children. These two problems are closely interrelated. The main thing in the treatment and prevention of anorexia neurotic is the elimination of force feeding and various maneuvers
(positive and negative) so that the child eats more. Eating is not an obligation, but a necessity that gives pleasant associations. If food has become torture for a child and already on the eve of feeding he shows fear and anxiety, and sometimes the urge to vomit, then you should not force him to the table.

Meals should be taken at approximately the same time and in a certain place. If a child has a reduced appetite, then he cannot be “fed” at other times, even if he asks for it. It’s another matter if the child eats normally and there are no problems with feeding. If a child has already developed and fixed a pathological stereotype for eating, then sometimes it is not easy to destroy it, and this requires the patience and perseverance of all family members. However, there is another point of view. According to R. Illingworth, “of all behavioral problems, anorexia is the most common, the most easily prevented, the most easily caused and the most easily treated.”

What should be done in such cases? First of all, exclude violence against the child and any methods of persuasion and distraction. To resort to drug treatment only in the presence of severe secondary neurotic disorders or a delay in the rate of psychomotor development.

During the next meal by all family members, for example during lunch, the child should be seated at the common table, put in front of him the dish that he must eat, and not pay attention to it. If he does not eat, you should not express dissatisfaction with either a word or a look. After the end of lunch, everyone present removes the dish from the child, even if he has not touched it, and he remains hungry until the next meal; he should not be given anything to eat in this interval. If he does not eat during the next meal, then the same thing is repeated until the next meal. Hunger should make itself known, and eventually the child will eat. At the same time, there is no need to praise him or make any promises. All this must be taken for granted. Of course, it is difficult to look at a hungry child, but it is not you who should give up first, but he himself.

Sometimes a child eats poorly only at home, but, for example, at relatives or neighbors, if he is there alone, he eats normally. Why does this happen? If a child feels that his food causes general anxiety and concern, and this can achieve something he wants, then he is pleased to see such universal attention. This is quite natural. After all, adults also like to see in themselves increased interest among others and try to achieve it with an interesting story, joke, anecdote and other ways. And here is a child, mostly with concrete thinking. He does not understand what kind of disorder, difficult experience, and possibly neurotic breakdowns his negative attitude towards food causes in his parents. Thus, the beloved child tyrannizes the entire family, and her growing concern for the child’s health only aggravates his whims, demands that will not stop on their own without a sharp change in the parents’ wrong attitude. If such a child does not have the opportunity to show his “I” in front of others while eating (there are no permanent “spectators”, i.e. parents), then eating can be quite normal, for example, eating with other children who have a good appetite, in the absence parents. This, on the one hand, can be one of the methods of treatment, on the other hand, it will force parents to think about the true state of affairs. After all, the manifestation of neurotic anorexia often follows the basic psychological principle of a stubborn young child: “I want” or “I don’t want and I won’t unless I get something else for it.”

R. Illingworth (1997) provides a lot of interesting and useful advice regarding the treatment and prevention of neurotic appetite disorders. According to the author, the problem of anorexia neurotic is not a child’s problem, but a problem of parents who do not know how to instill in their children proper eating behavior.
It often starts in infancy during weaning or at the beginning of complementary feeding. If a child refuses to accept a new food, R. Illingworth recommends offering him a breast or a bottle, and later, when the child is in a better mood, trying to give complementary foods again. This can happen many times. All violence must be excluded; it will never give the desired effect. As an example, the author cites the famous old saying that one man can lead a horse to water, but not even 20 men can make it drink.

You should also take into account the commonly encountered peculiar attitude of the baby to new food. She is also interested in him as an object of novelty. He wants to touch it, play with it, put his hands in it, and then smear it all over himself and the nursing person, drop it on the bed or the floor, but not put it in his mouth. This seems unusual to the mother, unique only to her child, but almost all children in the first year of life do this. The mother is afraid of the chaos that has been created, and she is in a hurry; trying to stop this attitude towards food, he begins to forcefully stuff it into his mouth, and the child resists, screams, spits out, and creates even more chaos. This is how conflict and aversion to food arises.

So what should we do? Here is a verbatim statement from R. Illingworth: “The mother should not interfere when he smears food on his ear or in his hair, but should intervene when he tries to put an overturned plate on his head instead of a hat. If she laughs at the mess he makes, he will repeat the action and make an even bigger mess."

When feeding a child of the first year, it is advisable to use a certain utensil, a spoon, which he gradually gets used to, and often does not want to eat from other utensils. The child is interested not only in the content, but also in the appearance of the dish. He does not like the colorless, shapeless and monotonous mass, monotony in taste, which should also be paid attention to.

Sometimes food can be too hot or cold, which causes unpleasant sensations that are remembered by the child and can cause refusal to eat.

A child of the first year usually eats slowly, because he has nowhere to rush and has no idea of ​​time, but wants to stay longer with his mother. Any haste could lead to violence. Often older and older children eat slowly, reluctantly, and smear the food all over the plate. Sometimes everyone eats, but the child does not touch the food. He should not be rushed into this; adults also take food at different speeds. However, if after a reasonable meal time the child continues to dig into the plate, there is no need to panic, you can only remind him that lunch is over. If this does not have an effect, then the plate should be removed, regardless of whimpering and screaming, and left without food until the next meal.

Due to the interest in new things, the development of independence and independence, the child will already grab a spoon in the second half of life and then try to eat on his own. There is no need to interfere with this. The desire to do everything yourself, even if ineptly at first, teaches you independence and independence.

By the end of the second and third years of life, a child may become interested in cooking, and there is often a desire to cook something himself. This is a good quality that must be used skillfully. All dishes prepared by children themselves or with their participation are eaten with great appetite.

Many other problems arise when feeding a child. For example, he may not tolerate certain foods that cause hypersensitivity, itching, belching and other unpleasant sensations. They need to be excluded from the diet. The child may simply not like some foods or dishes, which is also advisable to take into account when feeding him. It is a completely different matter if he systematically does not want to eat the dishes served, citing the fact that he does not like them. Today he doesn’t like one thing, tomorrow he doesn’t like something else, and this continues systematically. This attitude towards nutrition should be calmly stopped, without violence. We can say that there will be no other dish, and if he doesn’t want to eat it, he will remain hungry.

It is difficult to foresee and describe all the problems associated with a child's nutrition. There can be many of them, and sometimes unforeseen. They are solved by the logic of thinking and the current situation. For example, a child is capricious and does not want to eat at all during the meal established in the family. And he doesn’t eat because he was recently given a snack, he ate or drank something sweet, or he was taken away from an interesting game. In such cases, you should not take any “punitive” actions, for example, leaving you without food, but simply identify the cause of the lack of appetite and postpone eating for a while.

In conclusion, it should be noted that the reasons given in this section for lack of appetite in children and methods for correcting them are based both on personal experience and on the results of observations of other authors. These are just general tips that seem simple and easy to follow. Of course, not always. Parents should not be blamed for omissions made. Usually, defects in the nutritional education of children are the result of simple ignorance, lack of experience (usually when raising the first child) and are generated by love for him. And love is always blind (maybe not always, but it happens). It is easy to understand a mother who cannot live in peace when her child refuses to eat. She can explode, scream, punish the child, including physically, and then she terribly regrets her action. Prolonged restraint and patience are not unlimited. They burst out. This is human psychology.

Only over the years do you begin to understand your mistakes, for they are common to every person. And mistakes give rise to problems and the search for new solutions.

Anorexia is said to occur when a person voluntarily stops eating. Usually the reason for this is nervous system disorders, psychological problems or physiological diseases.

An adult or teenager may refuse food, for example, due to a burning desire to lose weight. But if we are talking about childhood anorexia, this point disappears.

Anorexia in children may be a consequence of neurosis or developmental immaturity (infancy).

Anorexia in children: photo

Childhood anorexia in the photo:

Appearance in preschoolers

Currently, eating disorders occur even in children who are under five years old. Such the child cannot always clearly explain to parents or doctors what is bothering him, so diagnosing the true disease in the early stages is difficult. As a result, the course of the disease becomes more complicated.

Sometimes parents find out quite by accident that their son or daughter self-induces vomiting after eating. This can happen even in kindergarten. The baby wants to eat, but something does not allow him to grab a spoon, or he tries to quickly get rid of what he swallowed by locking himself in the toilet.

If a child, for no apparent reason, begins to refuse chocolate and sweets, although he has always loved sweets, it is necessary to urgently consult a specialist.

Often, refusal to eat is provoked by some kind of psychological trauma: constant quarrels and fights between parents in front of the child, divorce, and so on.

Young children should never be forced to eat against their will.. Constant force feeding can give rise to a strong aversion to food and, as a result, anorexia.

It is also not advisable to allow a preschooler to play with various toys or other objects during breakfast, dinner and lunch, so that he does not get distracted. Extremely dry snacks negatively affect eating behavior, drinking juices and soda instead of a full meal, too long periods of time tomorrow until lunch, from lunch to dinner.

A preschooler's diet should be broad, including fortified foods, proteins, carbohydrates, fats, and healthy foods. If the menu is monotonous, the baby will soon get tired of eating the same thing and he will protest.

Often the occurrence of anorexia is influenced by diseases of the gastrointestinal tract(pancreatitis, stomach ulcer, gastritis). The pain from which the baby suffers seems to be related to eating. In fear that the tummy will hurt again after eating, the child simply stops eating.

Adolescence

What are the causes of anorexia in teenagers? Teenage children, and most often girls, are very “led” to various kinds of fashionable hobbies. This could be a sample figure of certain parameters, a new diet, or the appearance of a real model.

Teenagers learn about all this from television shows, on the Internet, and in modern magazines.

Of course, they want to be like screen stars.

When children understand that they are far from the “perfection” imposed on them, they have a complex or a whole bunch of complexes appears.

It happens that classmates start teasing a schoolboy for being fat, and a cute guy from a parallel class will tell the girl that she is not his type.

Such a teenager does his homework while standing; reading a book, walking around the room; exhausts himself with physical exercises in order to bring his body closer to the far-fetched “ideal”.

In the most severe cases of teenage anorexia, it reaches the point where the student feels sick and vomits even at the sight of food. He is no longer able to cope with such a reaction of the body.

Signs of anorexia in a child

Children who are not yet a year old openly express hostility towards this or that product.

At such an early age, anorexia can be of several types, each of which exhibits certain signs of the disease.

Symptoms of childhood anorexia:

1. Dysthymic: the baby does not want to eat, cries or whines, resists.
2. Regurgitant: The baby spits up when he eats. This happens involuntarily. Moreover, there are no signs of gastrointestinal diseases.
3. Active withdrawal anorexia: the baby refuses the breast, turning his head in the other direction. An older child protests against feeding, knocking over plates, glasses, and throwing cutlery on the floor. Sometimes he may pretend that he dropped them accidentally. The baby squeezes his lips very tightly, and if he manages to put a piece of food in his mouth, he immediately spits it all out.
4. Anorexia of passive withdrawal: The baby resists feeding normal food, for example, cereals, meat, cabbage. However, he enjoys eating something unusual: lemons, strawberries. He does not chew or swallow the food that is given to him - he simply holds it in his mouth.

Preschoolers who develop anorexia, at first they look quite normal. The disease does not express itself in any way. Only after some time do the parents notice that the child has constant constipation, is dizzy, and the skin itches.

The first signs of anorexia in a teenager may not be noticed by adults at all, because the child carefully hides his complexes. But if you look closely at it, you can see the following symptoms of anorexia in adolescents:

• examines his face and body in detail in the mirror - tries to understand how much weight he was able to lose;
• prefers to eat alone so that mom and dad do not control the amount of food he eats;
• categorically does not want to be photographed, even, for example, to obtain a passport, because he believes that he is overweight;
• He always tries to dominate in the kitchen, that is, he cooks food himself. In addition, he stuffs his younger brothers and sisters with cooked food, but he himself eats little;
• steps on the scale several times a day;
• before preparing or eating food, calculates how many calories the food contains;
• does physical exercise until he collapses;
• uses drugs that cause diarrhea;
• uses an enema;
• causes vomiting.

Anorexic teenager becomes very irritable and angry. Outbursts of aggression occur when parents force them to eat or scold the child for drinking a laxative again.

It is very important to start early treatment for anorexia in adolescents in order to improve their health and communication abilities.

Treatment in hospital

In a clinical setting, children diagnosed with anorexia are treated comprehensively, using both psychotherapy and physiotherapy, as well as effective medications.

The doctor decides how to treat anorexia in adolescents, and how in young children.

Each child receives an individual approach. The age category and characteristics unique to the patient are taken into account.

Medicines are not always effective, and sometimes they can harm the baby, since the child’s body is significantly different from that of an adult.

Therefore, psychotherapy remains the most important and most effective method of treating anorexia in children today. It is carried out in relation to both the patient himself and his family and friends.

What should parents do if they have anorexia in teenagers and younger children? Caring parents who want to see their baby healthy, must adhere to the following rules:

1. You should not place your child in a framework, creating a schedule for him to eat by the hour.
2. If your baby refuses to eat, you need to try to understand him. You can feed the baby later.
3. Children who eat poorly should be given small portions. If the baby does not eat enough, give supplements.
4. There is no need to scold your child if he did not eat everything that was on the plate.
5. There should be no sweets on the table while children are eating hot food.
6. If your baby vomits, you should never scold him. It is best to keep him busy with something else and stop feeding him.
7. New foods should be introduced gradually into your baby’s diet. without forcing him to eat a lot.
8. The child needs to buy a beautiful children's plate, or better yet a whole set, and place the food on it assorted. This way the baby will be able to choose what he wants, and he will definitely like this freedom of action.
9. Avoid chips and crackers, soda and colored sweets as snacks. It is even recommended to eliminate them from the diet.
10. Do not conflict with other household members while feeding the baby.

What is the risk of the disease?

Childhood anorexia can cause many diseases, such as stomach ulcers and heart arrhythmias.

Causes depletion of the body, hypovitaminosis. In the child's body protein volume decreases, hormonal imbalance occurs.

The consequences of anorexia in adolescents include a negative impact on the ability to have offspring.

Be responsible for your children! In order to prevent the development of anorexia, parents should not only feed their children correctly, but also raise them correctly.

As soon as a child who is not overweight declares that he wants to lose weight, mom and dad should immediately have a conversation with him about the dangers of such weight loss, while showing visual videos and photos of children with anorexia. Be responsible for your children! Don't let tragedy ruin your happiness.

Watch the video: how to save a child from anorexia.

Has your baby completely lost his appetite? Refusing not only your favorite foods, but also your favorite sweets? Something is fishy here. What if there is anorexia nervosa? Let's confirm or deny the disease together.

Anorexia is a disease characterized by refusal to eat. The refusal may be complete or partial. However, it has absolutely nothing to do with the pursuit of a beautiful figure. Anorexia in children is very different from the disease of the same name, which is often found in teenagers. Childhood anorexia is neurotic in nature.

Stages of childhood anorexia

Doctors distinguish two stages of the disease. The first stage of anorexia is called primary. It occurs when symptoms of the disease appear in a completely healthy baby. The cause of symptoms of the disease is a violation of the diet.

Secondary anorexia is a stage of the disease, the cause of which is internal disorders in a small body. As a rule, we are talking about failures in the digestive and other vital systems.

Symptoms of Anorexia Nervosa

The easiest way to detect symptoms of anorexia nervosa is in babies under one year old. Kids, fortunately, do not know how and do not consider it necessary to hide their aversion to food.

The baby is capricious and whines during every meal.
While eating, the child’s gag reflex is triggered and he regurgitates the food he has just consumed.
A breastfed baby refuses mother's milk.

Don't be too quick to diagnose anorexia nervosa. Perhaps the baby’s taste preferences have simply changed.

Preschoolers are another risk group. Preschool children also often suffer from the disease under discussion. But, unfortunately, in the early stages of the development of the disease, parents rarely notice the symptoms. What are the signs of anorexia nervosa between the ages of one and five years?

• frequent dizziness,
• itching on the skin,
• constant constipation.

Most often, mothers and fathers realize that something is wrong after their child refuses candy and sweets.

Treatment of Anorexia Nervosa

In most cases, treatment for anorexia nervosa in children does not involve the use of medications. It is enough to eliminate irritants and normalize nutrition. It is important to perform the last task correctly and gradually, in three main stages.

At the preparatory stage, the baby is given food that is vital at his age. The volume of food received is reduced by three times relative to the daily diet. No carbohydrates, sweets or fats. The number of feedings per day is no more than two. The diet should contain pickled vegetables, garlic, onions, herring, as well as other foods that stimulate the appetite.
At the recovery stage, the diet is much more similar to the traditional one. Gradually you can introduce proteins and little by little fats. At first, the amount of fat should not exceed half the daily requirement.
At the final stage, the baby is already recovering. My appetite has returned and my diet has been restored. Your task is to consolidate the effect. Gradually remove taboos on previously prohibited foods. But be still wary of fats. They can be used for cooking, but serving as independent dishes is strictly prohibited.