this year in Washington.
Chris Pollone, KPRC, 2 news.
>> Well, according to a new study by the CDC, the COVID
study by the CDC, the COVID
pandemic has had a serious
impact on the mental health of
adolescent girls. ER visits.
Emergency room visits related
to eating disorders and other mental health related issues
mental health related issues
doubled among teenage girls
during the pandemic.
Joining us this morning to talk
more about the problems, doctor
Anne Brown, clinical director
of the eating Recovery Center
in The Woodlands. Doctor, Good morning. Thanks for being with
morning. Thanks for being with
us.
>> Good morning. Thank you for
having me.
>> So I guess right off the do you have any clue as to why the
you have any clue as to why the
pandemic caused this increase
in eating disorders?
>> You have researchers believe
that this increase was brought about by pandemic-related
about by pandemic-related
stress, a lack of strong, sure.
And daily routine and changes
in food availability and eating
disorders really drive and
isolation and secrecy. So as
you can imagine, the pandemic
really had a negative effect
on many people struggling with
eating issues. And during the
pandemic. I think people are
also reluctant to seek
treatment for fear of getting
sick if they went to a and or
into a treatment center.
And so if more time on screens and less in-person connections
and less in-person connections
and interactions. I think it
was a perfect storm for
vulnerable kids.
>> No kidding, OK? So so as we
go forward, the you are things
changing now that we see it of the trends moving in a
the trends moving in a
different direction.
>> we’ve we’ve rate increase in
folks reaching out for support.
So I think that’s the biggest test, positive change that
test, positive change that
we’ve seen is that this is
really brought to the
forefront. How much
of the need there is for mental
health care and especially for
folks struggling with eating concerns.
>> So for for parents who may
think their child has some kind
of an eating issue, what is the
first thing we should do?
I mean to do is talk to the
child. We go right to the professional. What do you
professional. What do you
think?
>> Have parents really should
trust their intuition on this
and take action and eating disorder is really a serious
disorder is really a serious
mental illness that requires
specialized care. But it’s
important to note that in
disorders are treatable.
And the earlier we can treat an eating disorder and intervene
eating disorder and intervene
to better outcome for a lasting
recovery. So as a parent making
yourself available to talk to
your kids, if you’re noticing changes in their patterns or
changes in their patterns or
their behaviors, their
personality and then don’t wait
for your kids to come to you.
Seek out support right away.
>> What are these eating disorders come from an issue
disorders come from an issue
with you mention mental illness
or mental health? Is it is that
body image is is that the
relationship with food that’s
unhealthy of a world where the
start?
>> Yeah. It really a perfect
storm. Like I mentioned, it’s
always a combination of fact
air since it’s really never just one in particular theme.
just one in particular theme.
But we see vulnerabilities and
folks temperaments things that
make them, you more vulnerable
to things like protectionism. By the way, they view
By the way, they view
themselves in the context of the world around them. Social
the world around them. Social
influence things you know, like
our body can have a big impact.
And we know that biological
fact parents are a component also, you know, just how our
also, you know, just how our
brains are wired, how we think
about things and I and our
genetics.
>> A doctor. What kind of
programs and support you guys offer at the eating recovery
offer at the eating recovery
center?
>> And said it would cover a
center. We partial hospital,
which is a day treatment
program and intensive outpatient programming to
outpatient programming to
adults and children and
adolescents. Okay?
>> Well, one of the maybe this is a common misconception still
is a common misconception still
that eating disorders only
affect women, we know men can
be susceptible to anybody. I guess I are there any
I guess I are there any
limitations by either gender
or age?
>> No, I mean, really eating
disorders do not discriminate.
It really is a misconception that males cannot have anorexia
that males cannot have anorexia
alenia binge eating disorder.
And unfortunately, these are
diagnoses and really go and teammate overlooked when
teammate overlooked when
according
to males and we see it actually
high recurrence of eating
disorders and male children. Then we do in females and
Then we do in females and
during puberty when males
bodies are changing and their
height, their weight at a
really rapid pace.
>> Are there things as parents
we can do to like maybe
definitely make things The
things we should avoid, but
maybe not talking about weight
so much for trying to make sure
we encourage a better healthy body image in our children.
body image in our children.
But both both sides of that,
what can we do and maybe what
should we do?
>> Yeah, that it’s really
important that parents are concerned about and getting
concerned about and getting
issue with their child that
they seek professional and site
and support as early on as
possible, really to get as
educated as they can about kind of the do’s and don’ts are
of the do’s and don’ts are
what’s helpful and what might
be hurtful and then really
committing themselves to
remaining involved throughout
that process. The recovery
process can be lengthy and then it can be a stressful time
it can be a stressful time
trying to make those changes in
those issues addressed. So we
encourage parents to stay
involved, become become
informed. Join support groups,
get educated
>> working our audience go for
more information about the
topic and specifically what
you folks do.
>> Absolutely. Eating recovery
center dot com is an excellent
resource for education, about
eating disorders. Also about
our approach to eating
disorder, treatment said and
recovery. There’s also a resource as support groups and
resource as support groups and
educational materials. There.
>> Doctor Anne Brown, clinical
director of the Eating Recovery
Center in The Woodlands. Doctor, thanks so much for your