“I think that it definitely had something to do with my mom and my sister talking about different diets, and at that age… you don’t understand everything that they are discussing and the way that they’re discussing it, and in my head I blew it up as something bigger.”

– Shay Fuell, talking about things that may have helped trigger her obsession with weight that began at age 9.

About 2.5 million Americans suffer from anorexia, and most of them are teenage girls or adult women. But experts say the disease can begin well before adolescence.

Shay Fuell was only nine years old when the fixation began.

“(I) was starting to have body-image issues and looking in the mirror sideways and just pinching my skin seeing if there was fat there,” she says.

A few years later, she was 5-feet-2 and weighed 78 pounds.

“Literally, it becomes [a part of] every thought … in your head,” she says. “You can’t think about anything else. You can’t concentrate on anything. You can’t even hold a conversation with somebody because you are thinking about the last meal that you ate or what you should be doing to work out or how you’re going to be able to throw up without anybody knowing.”

Many experts say for the first time, they’re seeing 9-, 10-, and 11-year-old girls with eating disorders.

“I don’t know if they’re actually developing them younger or if it’s that parents are having a greater awareness of what’s going on with their children,” says Brigette Bellott, Ph.D., a psychologist and eating disorder specialist.

One study in the International Journal of Eating Disorders found that 42 percent of first-, second- and third-grade girls want to be thinner.

“(That) doesn’t necessarily mean they will develop an eating disorder,” says Bellott, “but how frequently are they saying that? What do they believe about that? What do they believe about their own body? I mean, I would ask, ‘What do you think about your body? How do you feel about it?’”

Experts say it’s crucial for parents to catch the first signs of an eating disorder because the fatality rate for anorexic women is 10 to 15 percent.

“Some of them [die] through malnourishment, some through suicide,” says Mary Weber-Young, L.P.C. “It is the highest mortality rate of any psychiatric illness.”

Shay wasn’t diagnosed until she was 14. It took five difficult years of treatment before she had fully recovered.

“It was an addiction,” she admits. “It was an obsession.”

Top ^

• Refrain from talking about dieting in front of your child.
• Carefully consider comments you may make about other people’s appearance and weight.
• Eating disorders can be triggered by a major life change or trauma for a child. Be particularly attentive after such events as a divorce or moving to a new city.

Top ^

http://www.bellottclinic.com/
http://www.4woman.gov/faq/easyread/anorexia-etr.htm
http://www.anad.org/site/anadweb/

Top ^

In many ways, for 8-year-old
Leonelle Douglas, today seems like just another day.

“I’ve been going to school, doing my homework and
eating nice, taking a back, getting to bed, get ready for school,” she
says.

But then she mentions her aunt and grandfather… still
unaccounted for in New Orleans.

“And I just pray that they’re o-k and they’re
not drowned right now,” she says.

And her friends?

“I don’t have any more… so… I just
have my family as my friends.”

At the Red Cross camp where Leonelle is staying… and at
homes and shelters all over the nation, experts say, it may be
awhile before kids understand all they have lost.

“The full impact of it has not really hit them yet,” says
Psychologist Jennifer Kelly, Ph.D., “So they’re in
shelters yes, but they’re getting a lot of attention, they’re
playing games, they’re getting this food there and that’s
o-k but, eventually they’re going to realize, they’re
not going back home.”

Leonelles, father, Leonard, also has a 5-year-old son. “Like
if I leave out the cabin my son asks me daddy where you going,
you going home? He really don’t know that this is our home
as of right now.”

Experts say, as the permanence of the loss sinks in…how
they respond will vary.

“Bedwetting, withdrawal, nightmares… just clinginess
are expected and are normal. And that may go on for several months,” explains
Jay Berkelhamer, M.D., with Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta

Experts say kids will need the strength of their parents… but
that moms and dads, also traumatized, may first need to get counseling… and then they
can be there for their kids.

“So if they feel that you can hold it together and they’re
ready to talk about it and it’s an o-k subject to talk about,
they will begin to talk about it,” says Dr. Kelly.

“Take care of yourself,” says Dr. Berkelhamer, “Be
there for your children. Do whatever you can to normalize the situation
as quickly as possible, even in new environs.”

“It all lies on us,” says Leonard, “If we make
it a home, they will love it as a home. But if we make it rough,
it’ll be rough on them.”

Tens of thousands of individuals are struggling with loss after
the destruction of Hurricane Katrina, and many people are at a loss for how
to help. According to a study published in the Journal of Adolescent Research,
children may experience many different emotions when faced with the loss
and upheaval caused by these kinds of situations. These emotions and the
way the child deals with them can have a number of short- and long-term effects
on the child including:

Long-term effects

• Increased likelihood of medical illness
• Fear of their own death
• Increased likelihood of psychiatric illness
• Increased risk of suicide as adults

Short-term Effects

• Shock
• Numbness
• Anger
• Sadness
• Insomnia
• Loneliness
• Fright
• Survivor guilt
• Nightmares
• Drug abuse
• School problems
• Suicide ideation

Simple grief over the loss is not only normal,
it is a critical component of the various stages through which adults and
children come to terms with their loss. However, according to the American
Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP), there are a number of
warning signs that indicate a grieving child is in trouble, including the
following:

• An extended period of depression in which the child loses interest
  in daily activities and events
• Inability to sleep, loss of appetite, prolonged fear of being
  alone
• Acting much younger for an extended period
• Excessively reliving or replaying the event
• Withdrawal from friends
• A sharp drop in school performance or refusal to attend school

Parents may notice that some of the warning signs listed above
parallel or mimic signs of depression and/or suicidal thoughts. If
you observe any of these warning signs, professional guidance may
be needed to help your child deal with this difficult process. A
qualified mental health professional can often help a parent objectively
determine the severity of the child’s difficulty in dealing
with a loss, as well as help the child navigate the recovery process
more successfully.

In addition, parents can take the following actions to help their
children deal with loss and anxiety:

• Let your child grieve – It is natural for a parent to
  want help their child avoid the pain associated with the loss or
  their possessions and friends through being uprooted from their
  home. However, children’s reactions to the losses will likely
  run the same gamut of emotions as those of adults, i.e. grief,
  anger or fear. It is important that children are allowed to acknowledge
  their grief and experience their own grieving processes.
• Talk to your child – As with so many emotional situations
  and problems, communication is essential in helping a child deal
  with loss, particularly when it is as sudden and unexpected as
  Hurricane Katrina. In talking with your child, be sure to:
• Acknowledge their feelings – For example, you might ask
  felt when they first heard the news about the destruction. You
  might also discuss how other people have reacted to the loss as
  a way to reinforce the idea that your child is not alone in how
  he or she feels about the loss.
• Share your experiences – Talk to the child about your
  feelings. Children need to know that their parents are struggling
  with the loss, too. It may help your child to hear that you have
  been or are angry, shocked and worried. Negative shared experiences
  can sometimes have positive results when children see their parents
  as subject to the same range of emotions they may be feeling.
• Share your beliefs – Situations of loss may cause children
  to explore who they are and what they believe. Share your beliefs
  with your child about what is important in life. The subject may
  have a great deal of relevance for them, particularly in the context
  of the loss process.

Encourage remembrance of what they have lost – Allow your
child to remember their home, friends, school, etc. Suggest creative
ways to facilitate that remembrance. For example, help the child
create a photo album or collage with the pictures that mean the most
to them. Suggest that they write a poem or paint a picture if it
will help them recover.

Sixteen-year-old
drivers–they get into deadly wrecks at almost five times the rate
of adults. Why?

16-year-old Sarah Brand answers, “Usually cell phones,
getting distracted by people, and just not experienced enough to
handle other bad drivers.” New driver Brian Castellanos says, “Some
people I know, they take a lot of risks. I’ve been with some
that scare the crap out of me.”

New brain research from the National Institutes of Health explains
the science behind the behavior. Dr. John Sladky, a neurologist
and professor at the Emory University School of Medicine says, “During
adolescence, the brain continues to develop and it develops predominantly
in the frontal cortex.” The cortex is responsible for judgment,
weighing risk, and predicting consequences. Dr. Sladky says it’s
not fully developed until age 25. He says, “Judgment is a
lot about what you’ve learned and applying that learning
to what is going on around you. Those areas of the brain, again
mature lately…mature after adolescence.”

Experts believe any delay in getting a license can be
beneficial. Len Pagano, with the Safe America Foundation, says, “Between
16 and 17 a teenager’s ability to make rational choices and
make quick decisions is enhanced. So just by waiting 12 months
a teenager is able to make better decisions.”

But the decision to raise the driving age is hard. Mom Sandy
Cooper says, “I think a lot of the people that think it should
be lower are parents that are tired of driving their kids around.”

Pagano says, “We have to recognize there’s a trade-off
here. If we want to save their lives we may have to restrict how
early they can get a license.”

Driving is a risky proposition for many American teenagers. Despite
spending less time driving than all other age groups (except the elderly),
teenage drivers have disproportionately high rates of crashes and fatalities.
Experts say that the high accident rates for teens are caused by a
combination of factors, most notably teenagers’ immaturity and
lack of driving experience. The U.S. Department of Transportation’s
Fatality Analysis Reporting System collected the following data about
teenage drivers:

• Crashes are the leading cause of death among 16- to 19-year-olds.
• The majority of teenage passenger deaths occur when another teen
  is driving.
• Two-thirds of teens killed in motor vehicle crashes are male.
• Among teenage drivers, alcohol is a factor in 23 percent of fatal
  accidents involving males, 10 percent of fatal accidents involving
  females.
• More than half of the teenage motor vehicle deaths occur
  on Friday, Saturday or Sunday. Of those deaths, 41 percent occur
  between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m.

The risks involved in letting a teenager get behind
the wheel of a car are very real, but there are safety measures parents
can take to improve the odds for beginning drivers. The Insurance Institute
for Highway Safety offers these tips:

• Don’t rely solely on driver education. High school driving
  courses may be the most convenient way to teach driving skills,
  but they don’t produce safer drivers.
• Supervise practice driving. Take an active role in helping your
  teen learn how to drive. Supervised practice should be spread over
  at least six months and continue even after your teen graduates
  from a learner’s permit to a restricted or full license.
• Remember, you are a role model. New drivers learn by example,
  so you must practice safe driving. Teens with crashes and violations
  often have parents with poor driving records.
• Restrict night driving. Most nighttime fatal crashes among young
  drivers occur between 9 p.m. and midnight, so your teen shouldn’t
  be driving much later than 9 p.m.
• Restrict passengers. Teenage passengers in a vehicle can distract
  a new driver and/or lead to greater risk-taking. The best policy
  is to restrict the number of teenage passengers your teen is allowed
  to transport.
• Require safety belts. Don’t assume that your teen is using
  a safety belt when he’s with his friends, just because he
  uses it when you’re together. Research shows that safety belt
  use is lower among teens than older people. Insist that your teen
  use a safety belt at all times.
• Prohibit driving after drinking. Make it clear that it is illegal
  and highly dangerous for a teen to drive after drinking alcohol
  or using any other drug. While alcohol isn’t a factor in most
  crashes of teenagers, even small amounts of alcohol are impairing
  for teens.
• Choose vehicles for safety, not image. Teens should drive
  vehicles that reduce their chances of a crash and offer protection
  in case they do crash. For example, small cars don’t offer
  the best protection in a crash. Avoid cars with performance images
  that might encourage speeding. Avoid trucks and sport utility vehicles,
  particularly the smaller ones, which are more prone to roll over.

Drive Home Safe
Insurance Institute for Highway Safety
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration