What we understand from our personal experience coping with a child suffering from anorexia is that there isn't one single definitive guide or course of action for you and your child to follow that will guarantee a solution to their eating problems.

Your attitude and beliefs about children and teenagers and the interaction of the parents affect the way you respond to your child.

You should understand that you are not responsible for your child's illness as well as you should understand that your child turned to an eating disorder for emotional comfort and is in emotional pain, though she/he may not recognize it.

Remember, that if one approach for coping with your child's illness does not work there is always another way.

What I want to say is that people who develop eating disorders are absolutely normal. Just something happens in their lives that make them really suffer emotionally and they turn to an eating disorder to compensate for this emotional discomfort.

Anorexia like other eating disorders is not about food. Anorexia is disorder of feelings, thoughts, identity, values, relationship, coping and control.

If you fix all of the above or change these feelings to new ones (like positive feelings and thoughts, strong sense of identity and values, good coping and control strategies, high self-esteem) you can conquer anorexia.

Only then will the young anorexic be able to recover from an eating disorder quickly.

I should say that affecting someone's subconscious mind is not a quick process. It will take some time. But if you are persistent you will definitely see a significant improvement in your child's state within a few months after beginning and doing the exercises above.

How does it work, you may ask? Here is the short and simple explanation. Our brain consists of two halves (called hemispheres). Both hemispheres are covered by a thick layer called the Cortex. The Cortex is the conscious part of the brain, the part we think with (logical thinking). But this part of the brain is not responsible for our feelings.

We have another small part of our brain which lies between the two hemispheres and connects them. This little part is called the limbic system. The limbic system, as discussed in the next section, is involved in regulating emotions and motivations. In addition, parts of the limbic system, the amygdala and hippocampus, are important for memory.

This part (The limbic system) does not have consciousness (no thoughts only feelings). It was found that people with emotional problems have an imbalance of the limbic system. The question is: how to influence the limbic system and put it in the right balance?

The answer is: the cortex which is the conscious part of the brain should influence the limbic system which does not have conscious thought. The cortex, which makes the decisions for us, learns new things, and understands things for us should influence the non-conscious part of the brain by giving signals to the limbic system to work differently.

Most eating disorders are learned behavior. Initially the sufferer taught themselves to diet to become slim. Initially it was their own conscious decision to lose weight because they wanted to look better. This conscious decision was made by their cortex and sent to their limbic system which gave them the feelings (like feeling good about yourself if you became slim).

So, what you need to do is reverse this: to say in other words you have to get the sufferer to change their perception (or their cortex). They should make another decision (about changing their own image and feelings that they have now, like starving them self or purging, back to a normal response) and send this signal to their limbic system to foster good feelings about their new decision they have just made.

It is with growing concern that I have noticed an alarming trend in the emails I receive from people asking for help with young anorexics eating disorder problems. It has become obvious that something is terribly wrong with the normal medical approach to helping these sufferers.

I would like to share with you just some of the pleas for help I get so you can see what I mean.

"Dear Doctor

My daughter is away at university she had a week to go before the end of the term/academic year. Her weight is very low (under 5 stones) and although she has some help (psychiatrist/art therapy/dietician) she is really struggling and desperate for some rest bite and help but the resources available are scarce and a hospital admission initially to a medical ward is what is most likely to happen. Over the years she has had 3 admission to specialist units where she has gained weight over many month only to lose it all once she resumes independent living. She does not believe another hospital admission would really help but to be honest she is getting so ill she may not have a choice". Janet T.

Here is another email from a desperate mother.

"Dear Doctor

I am a mother who has a 17 year-old daughter suffering from bulimia and anorexia. She is receiving no help whatsoever from our doctor or counseling services here in Northern Ireland. It fact she seems to be getting worse although she is under treatment. I can't understand what is happening can you help me please". Pauline M.

I receive many of emails like these from people who just can't understand why their loved one is finding it so hard to recover even though they are under medical supervision. And I will explain the reasons in a moment but first here is another plea from a grandmother I received.

Hi Doctor

I hope I am not fussing too much but we are so desperate as my granddaughter is rapidly going downhill with really bad tantrums etc., and is so thin and won't eat hardly anything, we are all in despair and so scared for her health she continues to lose 2lb every week she has been seeing councilors and the weight loss has increased since then. We cannot understand why she is getting worse, we thought she would get better after seeing a counselor. Andrea R

Another cry for help.

Dear Doctor

I have just finished speaking to my brother and sister-in-law who are at a crisis point in trying to deal with their young daughter's anorexia.

Alice says they are both beyond hell and do not know how to recover the lives of their daughter or themselves. I suspect it is putting immense strain on their marriage as well.

Their 16 year old daughter knows what the condition is doing to her but is powerless to ignore the voices in her head telling her to do the opposite of everything that will help get her better.

She is critically thin and starting to be suicidal. After the phone call I got on line and was lead to you. I do not know how else to help. They are on that dreadful treadmill of Doctors, hospitals and counselors, today they have been told by the doctors to go to her school and sit with her while she eats her lunch!! This is no life. Betty D.

There is a reason why all these people are understandably confused about how to treat young anorexics and it stems from the lack of real understanding of the condition by conventional medical practice in treating eating disorders.

Most eating disorder specialists are highly trained and very competent in trying to look after sufferers, but most of the doctors I have talked to are equally baffled by negative the results they are getting.

One of the main things you have to understand is eating disorders like anorexia are not a logical disease, so you can not treat them with logic as conventional treatment tries to do. An eating disorder is all about feelings and emotions and these are certainly not logical. You can't counsel a person by pointing out they could die from their disorder: most already know this but still cannot change.

Sitting around just listening to the sufferer talk about how they feel or ask them to describe the feelings they have and expecting the sufferer to know the answer is also ludicrous. Asking them to keep charts on what they eat for weeks is only making them focus on their ED even more and is also a crazy way to deal with the problem.

Getting them involved in group therapy does not work in most cases either. In fact this can cause more problems that it fixes as sufferers can get attached to the group. They make friends with other anorexic sufferers, and then if they get better they asked to leave the group and also all their friends, so they often choose not to get better.

So what is the remedy for the young anorexic sufferers and their families? The best way to beat an eating disorder is by attacking the eating disorder where it lives and that is in the subconscious mind of the sufferer. By showing the young anorexic sufferer how to stop the voices in their mind from controlling their life and changing their thought patterns to a more positive outlook on life is paramount to their recovery.

To do this you have to reprogram the mind of the sufferer by using positive input. This does not simply mean just trying to think positive about things or telling them that everything is rosy and wonderful, because this does not work either.

What you need is a specific method and set of exercises that are tailor made to change the way the sufferer sees them self and thinks about themselves. They need a treatment method that helps them to defeat the voices in their head which have already lead them down the dark path that is their anorexia.

It's not hard to understand how people young and old can fall victim to horrible diseases like Anorexia and Bulimia. Everyday we are bombarded with unrealistic body images and at the same time bombarded by unhealthy food choices, and society makes both seem irresistible. People become trapped in the weight loss weight gain cycle and look for an easy way out.

Typically people who become anorexic or Bulimic do so because they are interested in losing weight. They want to lose weight in order to look a certain way. They feel that they cannot lose the amount of weight they want simply by diet or exercising normally so they develop these unhealthy habits. in order to shed these pounds quickly they go looking for alternatives and sometimes find that anorexia or bulimia fit their needs.

In reality these types of actions create weight loss but not healthy weight loss and even worse they can create addiction to the anorexia or bulimia. These types of weight loss decisions can lead to severe health problems and even death. Finding an alternative to anorexia and bulimia is not hard. But the mindset of an anorexic or bulimic is hard to circumvent. The best way to avoid these pitfalls is to find a safer alternative.

What most of these people who turn to drastic measures such as anorexia and bulimia do not know is that their bodies are most likely suffering from harmful substances living in side their bodies. These harmful substances will keep them from losing weight. The body's first instinct is to protect itself and that means storing up extra fat to help it fight off illnesses and provide extra energy.

A healthy body that has been purged of these substances will shed excess weight naturally. The body will no longer need these extra pounds to protect it from the harmful substances that are living off of the extra weight. If more anorexics and bulimics could have found this simple truth out before they took such drastic measures to change the way they look lives could be saved.

There is help more and more people are discovering a way to purge their bodies of the very substances that are keeping them from losing weight and keeping it off. Don't cave to the pressures of society avoid the trappings of anorexia and bulimia.

What if there was something attached to our mind so that we could record everything that we told ourselves, good and bad? I bet we would be surprised to realize that we talk worse to ourselves than anyone else does. We are literally our worst enemy, and this is everyone, not just people that have binge eating disorder.

Our negative self-talk starts as soon as we wake up in the morning. It really gets going when we take that first look in the mirror, step on the scale, put on a shirt that's just a little too snug to make us comfortable, or binge eat. This is about the time that we start beating ourselves up and take it another step further... We turn everything about our body into something negative.

It's not just about the scale; we obsess about that extra pound. Instead of looking in the mirror and appreciating something on our face, we go crazy about that pimple that seems so monstrous. Instead of forgiving ourselves for that last binge, we think way too much about all of the food we consumed three hours ago, which doesn't help anything. It's an endless cycle.

Our fears about our looks naturally lead us to compare ourselves with others all of the time. We always wonder why we can't be as pretty, popular, or skinny as her or her or her, or all of the models that stare at us from magazines, television, and movies. Let's face it: We are obsessed, but will never win when we put ourselves up against stylists, airbrushes, and plastic surgeons.

It's very normal to compare ourselves. It's just part of human nature. However, it is so detrimental to our own happiness, not to mention when we are trying to end binge eating disorder.

If we must compare ourselves to someone else, what if we did it in a more healthy way? Instead of wishing we looked like Jessica Alba or Angelina Jolie, how about being thankful for the legs that are still attached to our body instead of the woman that lost hers while fighting for our freedom in Iraq? How about being thankful that you have both breasts that are healthy instead of a woman that is battling breast cancer? At least this kind of comparison will tap into our reserves of empathy and gratitude instead of endless self-judgments, fears, and jealousy.

When you live your life with gratitude for your situation, things just don't seem as bad. Work daily on the fight against binge eating disorder and notice all of your successes. Be thankful for your life, binges and all, because it really could always be worse, but at least you can gain control over bingeing. The same can't be said for losing your legs.

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Nocturnal sleep-related eating disorder (NSRED) or often considered as sleep eating disorder (SED) is a type of sleep disorder wherein a person eats unconsciously during the night. Sometimes, NSRED sufferers make an effort to prepare their meal, which can be quite hazardous, since they do it all while sleeping.

Most of NSRED sufferers do not remember or have not recollection of what they did during the past night. Later on, when clues of their behavior start to manifest, they often feel ashamed and guilty. Sometimes, they also feel self-hatred.

NSRED or SED can either be a disorder in eating or sleeping. Usually, sleep eaters like to eat foods that are rich in sugar or fat contents. There are also cases of people suffering from NSRED who eat items that are inedible like soap. Meanwhile, most tend to prepare strange combinations of foods.

There have been various treatments introduced to heal persons stricken with sleep eating disorders.

Although nearly any person can be affected by sleep eating disorders, about 1 - 3% of the general populations appear to have this kind of disorder. Though it could affect both gender, about two-thirds of the total number of sufferers compose of women. People with sleep eating disorders have high risk of becoming overweight or obese.

There are ten usual signs or symptoms that a person is affected by a sleep eating disorder.

1. Eating while unconscious or sleeping

2. Unconscious preparation of meals during the middle of the night

3. Feeling angry

4. Finding food crumbs or wrappers in the bed or pillow that have been left over due to sleep eating on the previous night.

5. Not hungry or craving for breakfast

6. Feels stressed out or tired easily

7. Limited or absolutely no recollection of what transpired during the night

8. Walking while asleep

9. Feeling easily tired or fatigued during the day

10. Anxiety attacks

Various health factors arise out of SED-NOS or NSRED

Here are several of the health risks that may affect the persons who are suffering from sleep eating disorders:

- Gaining weight or obesity

- Being injured while preparing or cooking food while in a sleep eating episode

- Being attacked with anxiety, stress or anger in the daytime

- Poor quality of sleep

Like most the other sleep disorder, there are different types of treatment for NSRED sufferers. The first step is to have a correct diagnosis of his or her symptoms. A doctor can prescribe a visit to the sleep center, where there is a laboratory to conduct several tests on the sleep eater. During the sleep test, it is important to identify if there are other diseases, medical conditions of sleep disorders that causes the signs of NSRED. These conditions can be hypoglycemia or low blood sugar, sleep apnea, encephalitis or hepatitis.

Meanwhile, there are natural treatments for NSRED sufferers that can be as effective:

- Maintain a daily regular form of exercise

- Enrolling in a stress management or stress reduction class

- Quitting nicotine intake and any other stimulant that can disrupt sleep

- Limiting consumption of alcohol

- Controlling the amount and time of caffeine intake

Furthermore, sleeping pills must always be avoided. A doctor must supervise the person's intake if it becomes necessary to take.

Eating disorders can be a threat to your own life. It can choke the life of people especially at the stage of teens. This stage can be really bad in case physical change. It brings a change, which can ruin the life.

Most of the teens are unaware of the ill effects of eating disorders, which bring them to a stage of unconsciousness such as stress, depression, obesity and hypertension at early age. Teenagers get disheartened after getting trapped into these kinds of problems. They start feeling inferior to their friends and family, which results in depression and stress.

So, parents should actively participate by helping out their children to get rid of problems in life. They should seek to each and every activity performed by their child. They should understand their child and find the reason behind such problems. A child should be made strong so that he or she does not feel lonely in their life. This would happen by loving and understanding your child. At this stage, a child should not be scolded. Even you can help him or her in academics because children who are caught in the trap of problems are not able to concentrate. And if there is no improvement in your child, you should immediately seek help from a professional. Sit with your child; tell him or her to follow a dietary plan or to exercise to reduce the plumpness.

Girls need more attention as they usually go mad when they start putting weight which can be seen now days. Girls follow standards and trends of beauty. They are under a notion that by starving, they won't put on weight and this will enhance their beauty. But it is a wrong notion. Skipping meals will create diseases like anemia, hypertension and in-fertility. The girls are influenced from TV commercials, magazines and posters of the celebrities. So, it is necessary to follow a balanced and appropriate diet to reduce obesity and to remain fit, healthy and strong.

It was with great interest that I read in the UK Telegraph about the ex deputy prime minister of the UK John Prescott and his battle with bulimia. It is good that man in such a high powered position has finally come out and said he was a sufferer of this insidious disorder.

It was also with interest that the headline in the Times online said "How could a big man like John Prescott have a girl's illness"?

This has always been a huge misconception that only women and girls get eating disorders and of course this could not be further from the truth. Although there are more women with the disease than men, it does not mean there are not many more male sufferers out there who have hidden the disorder like Mr. John Prescott has.

Statistics say that there are many more women with the disease than men but this could be because men will not come forward and seek help. It boils down to the fact that men will not tell anyone because of the stigma attached to people with eating disorders, especially males with this problem: this in turn can easily skew the statistics.

Mr. Prescott put his bulimia down to the fact he was under enormous stress associated with his job as a parliamentarian, working long hours and deriving his only pleasures from eating large amounts of food. He stated himself that he ate huge amounts of food and no one ever suspected he was a bulimic because he was not thin.

This is another misconception; you do not have to be really thin to have bulimia: Mr. Prescott is certainly no stick figure. I have been asked the same question many times by family members of a sufferer who say, but he does not look really thin. My answer back is you don't have to be to be thin to be bulimic.

So why do men contract a disorder like bulimia? Like Mr. Prescott says his was due to stress and this is certainly one of the keys. But it can also be for job reasons and many male sufferers start of being bulimic because of their occupation. We have come across many male sufferers who are dancers, gymnasts, jockeys, airline stewards, male models and many more industries where being a certain size is a must for the job.

Most people, who know little about a disease like bulimia and this includes many journalists, say why can't they just stop: I wish it was as simple as that but it is not. Like Mr. Prescott said he got some weird satisfaction from binging and then purging and all bulimics get the same thing.

When a bulimic purges they get a release of a pleasure hormone not unlike the endorphins an athlete gets after exercising. This feel good hormone is one of the reasons a bulimic continues on with his erratic eating behavior. The problem is the rush they get is very short lived, so they have to binge and purge even more. So asking a bulimic to simply stop is like asking a non-sufferer to give up breathing air: it is not going to happen.

Most non-sufferers and many others think that you can beat bulimia with logic and by pointing out the errors of their ways they will stop. But again this is an impossibility and simply cannot happen. Mr. Prescott and his wife knew for years it was wrong and that he was in danger of serious medical problems, but he could not stop. If bulimia was a logical disease then he should have been able to stop when he realized he was doing harm to himself, but he couldn't.

This is because bulimia lives in the subconscious mind of the sufferer and the subconscious mind does not work on logic, it works on feelings and emotions and these are certainly not logical. The longer the bulimic has the disorder the more ingrained it becomes in the subconscious mind of the sufferer.

There is a way you can see how the subconscious mind works for yourself. The next time you explode at one of the kids or go off for no apparent reason, just ask yourself if it was logical. I bet you do not have the slightest idea why it happened; it is because it came from your subconscious mind and not your logical mind.

There is only one way you can really stop bulimia and that is through the subconscious mind where the bulimia lives. It lives there because it was programmed by the sufferer to be there over months or even years as was the case with Mr. Prescott.

There are many ways to treat bulimia but not very many of them really cure bulimia. Popular treatment is going to the doctors or clinics or a counselor. How helpful are these? Statistic shows that nearly 90% of suffers relapse after attending these kinds of treatment.

What happens to these people is they feel temporary better while they are in the clinic or in a doctor's room, but lose all sense of self-control around food when they come back home or while on their own and unprotected.

The next way of treatment is group therapy where sufferers are supposed to get ongoing support and help from other sufferers and a group leader. But this way has many flaws and is not helpful either: it can actually become harmful to many sufferers.

The reasons of this are that while in the group there is often a competition for attention. In the group patients often deliberately get worse or engage in more symptoms just to get extra attention from each other or the therapist. This kind of competition always exists in eating disorder help groups but on many different levels. Sometimes it can get out of control and cause a lot of harm to some members of the group, the most venerable ones.

Also, while in the group people learn from each other. And they learn not necessary only the good things. They learn a lot of bad stuff too.

Like say if a young woman has never heard of drinking ipecac to induce vomiting and learns this technique in group therapy. She may try the technique out herself at home; instead of getting positive help she has just learned how to mask her disorder even more. This can also have a detrimental effect on the group leaving the group leader or member feeling responsible for teaching her.

Some doctors prescribe drugs to treat eating disorders but this also does not fix the problem and in the long run even makes things worse.

The only way to cure bulimia in my opinion is to eliminate the reason why people have it. You see what happens is that people understand that their bulimia is slowly killing them and want to stop but they can't.

It seems like something inside the person is stronger than their own free will and controls their logical thinking. What is this something?

It is basically another part of our brain called the subconscious mind that not only is responsible for people's feelings, emotions and non-conscious actions that keep them alive, but it can also work against your own free will.

It is the part of the mind that is responsible for our actions when we do something but we don't know why we did it. The subconscious mind operates on feelings and senses. And very often people can't even describe it logically because it consists of thoughts and feelings. Sufferers just do what the subconscious mind wants them to do.

So,the main reason people have bulimia lies in the subconscious mind and to stop bulimia one needs to get rid off the subconscious blockages that always keep you being a bulimic against your will.

Subconscious blockages are described by many sufferers as being like voices or senses they have that make them binge and purge.

If someone has a subconscious emotional blockage preventing her/him from stopping their bulimia, they are unlikely to realize it. An example of this is a bulimic who doesn't realize that they have "broken eye syndrome" - they see in a mirror a different picture from everyone else: basically their own mind is lying to them.

Subconscious blockages cannot be identified and changed at the rational thinking level; this is where most conventional treatments fail: simply because they think logical actions will fix it.

For example, the "broken eye syndrome" gets worse and worse the longer you have bulimia, because the bulimic brain is constantly working on false information and is reinforcing false beliefs. You can talk logic to a bulimia sufferer all day long and it will not help one bit: because bulimia is not logical.

To conclude, identifying and eliminating your subconscious blockages is the best and really the only way you will ever cure your bulimia. There are special programs that help bulimics to do this. You can try to use them to cure bulimia.

"M" was an attractive, effervescent 18 year old girl when I first met her. As one of my roommates, she loved to be around her friends and talk non-stop. She also would steal several bags of Milanos double chocolate cookies from the kitchen cabinet; eat them all in one sitting, and not gain and ounce. She was hiding a huge weight-loss secret. She had diabulimia; the diabetic's eating disorder. This disorder has joined other well-researched eating disorders such as Anorexia and Bulimia, and lesser known unstudied eating disorders like Wannarexia.
The facts:
Up to about 1/3 of young women and teens with Type 1 diabetes skimp or withhold on their insulin doses in a scary attempt to lose weight, according to new research out of the Joslin Diabetes Center. Girls and women who skip or skimp on these doses are more likely to suffer negative and serious side effects such as kidney failure, foot problems, and even death at a young age. In fact, diabulimia triples the risk of premature death about women who have diabetes.
Other studies on diabulimia indicate that these young women have higher rates of both nerve damage and eye problems.
In addition, young women with Type 1 diabetes are more than twice as likely to develop a full blown eating disorder (i.e. anorexia, bulimia) than women without diabetes who are the same age as them.
The Warning Signs:
* unexplained elevations in A1C values
* persistent problems with diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA)
* unusual/extreme concerns about weight and body shape
* an obvious change in food-related behavior
* exercise bulimia (extreme patterns of exercise)
* missing monthly period called, amenorrhe
The Risks:
* higher A1C levels
* higher risk of developing infections
* more frequent episodes of DKA
* more frequent hospital and emergency room visits
* higher rates and earlier onset of diabetes complications - nerve damage, eye disease, kidney disease and possible heart disease
What should you do?
The Strait Approach: Ask them about Diabulimia
Have they ever heard of diabulimia? Thought about it? Do they know the risks? Sometimes hearing about it or having a conversation about it can reveal what's going on in the other person's head.
The Direct Check: Verify their insulin intake
Is insulin being used? If insulin is being used correctly, there should be a consistent decrease in the bottle, insulin syringes used, and medical supplies discarded (i.e. alcohol swabs, gauze).
Weight Loss Monitoring: Witness side effects
Are they losing weight? Are they binge eating? Are they losing weight, showing signs of dehydration, exhaustion, depression, or ketoacidosis? If they are using insulin correctly and eating a healthy diet, they should have normal energy and typical and predictable weight patterns.
Intervention: Getting Help
Are you certain that there is a problem? If so, talk to the person who you believe to be affected by Diabulimia. Express your concern and your support. Turn to a trained doctor who can help the person deal with these very real issues. They typically do not go away by themselves.
Call the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) for more information or a referral (800-931-2237). They can also provide you with a referral if you fill out their referral form that is available on their website. You can also submit a question. Finally, parents, friends, and family members can also learn how to support their loved one through this trying time through the Parents, Family, and Friends Network.
As Powerful Parents, we all need to stay ahead of the curve and know what our children are doing. While we are making progress everyday to help our teens move forward and people speaking out on behalf of girls and women, we still have a long way to go. Let's help our teens together.

I have been ask this question so many times by lots of worried parents who think their child may have bulimia but don't know any of the warning signs.If you are one of these parents then here is a list of things to look out for, I will start with simple things first:1: Look for an excessive amount of food that is missing. Things like packets of biscuits you have just bought and they have disappeared overnight. Packets of sweets are gone without you even having one yourself. Look for easy accessible foods that seem to be gone faster than what is normal for your family use.2: The child is starting to act unusual around meal times. Being a bit anxious and not wanting to eat certain food groups, or may play with their food. They may say they have eaten at a friends place but then start to raid the food cupboard for easy food soon after dinner.3: You notice that the child may have lots of food rappers in their bedroom hidden under the bed or in their trash basket. Half eaten candy bars or potato crisp packets hidden in places that are unusual.4: The child may start to miss family gatherings or not want to go out to events where they normally would have, like picnics or parties preferring to stay home. Even making excuses they feel ill or have a headache.5: The child may start to do more exercise that they use to do. Go for long runs or bike rides and start to really push themselves to the extreme.These are all little things but point to a change in the child's habits although you can't come to the conclusion that your child has bulimia from these alone. You need more concrete evidence to go with these before you can be sure.Bulimics normally become very good at hiding their condition from family and friends. Bulimia has been described as secretive and sneaky and it most certainly is.So you as a parent have to become just as sneaky if you suspect your child of this disorder.Here are some more concrete things to look out for.1: The child after finishing their meal disappears to the bathroom for a long time. This starts to become a habit and is a surefire clue to the child being bulimic.2: You notice the smell of toothpaste on their breath when they come from the bathroom, or a sour smell on their breath.3: You start to find laxatives in their bedroom or empty packets in their trash bin.4: They start to become really edgy and anxious for no apparent reason and may start telling you to mind your own business if you say anything to them. They act out of character towards you.5: They start to look sickly and feel the cold more that was normal for them. They may start having problems with their teeth or complain of a sore throat all the time.6: They start to become obsessed with there weight and are looking at the bathroom scales all the time, or asking you if they look fat or looking in the mirror more that they use to do.If you noticed a number of these symptoms together then there is a good chance your child may have Bulimia. But do not simply confront them as this can drive the child away or warn them you are on to them, so they may become even sneakier.You should educate yourself first from people who have faced what you are facing now. One of the best educational information around on this subject is at www.mom-please-help.com written by a mother whose daughter nearly died from bulimia anorexia. She was able to save her daughter herself when all else had failed.