For Parents, Caregivers, Families, and Friends
It can be frightening or overwhelming if you have child or loved one who is struggling with an eating disorder. Eating disorders are not choices, passing fads, phases or special diets. Eating disorders are severe and can be fatal. Eating disorders can be recognized by a persistent pattern of unhealthy eating or dieting behavior that can cause health problems and/or emotional and social distress. It's important to know that you did not cause the eating disorder and that recovery is possible.
Fortunately, there are resources to understand this illness and to help you support your loved one. These pages will help you understand what the various types of eating disorders, including anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder, and more. You can also learn about treatment opportunities and resources you can use to support your loved one's recovery.
Support Groups
​
The Alaska Eating Disorders Alliance is offering free, confidential support groups
for family members, friends, and caregivers of those affected by eating disorders,
as well as a support group for adults 18+ experiencing an eating disorder.
​
Alaska Peer-Led Support Group for individuals 18+ who are struggling with or recovering from an eating disorder. For more information, please contact Cassie at edgroupak@gmail.com.
​​​​
Eating Disorder Hope also provides support group information and resources, as
well as a directory of support groups by state.
​
​​
Finding Treatment
​
Eating disorders are serious mental illnesses. They are treatable, and the sooner
someone gets the treatment they need, the better the chance of a good recovery.
​
Alaska Behavioral Health offers a Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP) and Intensive
Outpatient Program (IOP) in Alaska. For more information, please check out their
website.
​
​
Parent Training Courses
​
Currently, AKEDA is offering a free self-paced Parent Training Course for Alaska
parents of youth experiencing restrictive eating disorders.
​​​
​
​
​
​
Meal Support
​
​
​​​​​
A special program by Jane Reagan Nutrition that gives parents the tools they
need to help, heal, and restore a child with an eating disorder.
Eating Disorders Meal Support: Helpful Approaches for Families - This video provides strategies to help parents and families provide structure and support to youth with eating disorders before, during, and after meals.
​
How to Talk With Your Children About Food - Increasingly, eating disorder, and child health experts stress that the current model of nutrition education encourages disordered thinking around eating. Pushing “healthy” foods can make children like them less; demonizing and forbidding “junk” foods may make children obsess about, hide and hoard these foods when old enough to get them on their own. Here are some tips to help rather than harm.
Helpful Resources
Resources for Parents
F.E.A.S.T. is a global support community for parents of individuals with eating disorders. They offer a Family Guide Series, which provides booklets on topics like diagnosis, nutrition, neurobiology, and treatment. F.E.A.S.T. also hosts Around the Dinner Table, a free, moderated forum for parents to discuss and find resources on supporting their loved ones with eating disorders. The forum is open to parents worldwide, regardless of diagnosis or age.
​
NEDA Parent Toolkit - For anyone who wants to understand more about how to support a family member or friend affected by an eating disorder.
​
With All - Learn What to Say
Resources for All
The National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) offers information to understand these illnesses. You can learn about eating disorders, including diagnoses, warning signs and symptoms, diagnostic criteria, health consequences, stages of recovery and more. Online forums are available for parents, spouses, friends and children of those struggling. In addition, NEDA offers helpful brochures.
​
The Academy for Eating Disorders offers many useful resources, including an overview of Treatment Options.
Additional Information
These videos and articles are helpful in understanding eating disorders and what causes them.
​
How to help a Loved One, NEDA video
​
Eating Disorders: What Are They? Video on eating disorders by people who have experienced them
“Eating Disorders from the Inside Out” video by Dr. Laura Hill
​
Signs and Symptoms of Eating Disorders
​
Eating Disorder Recovery: 12 Tips to Aid in the Process
​
​Warning Signs and Symptoms of Eating Disorders - Includes information about each type of eating disorder, including anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, orthorexia, diabulimia and more.​