December 22, 2009
Behavior, Weight and Weight Loss
Question from Wilton, Maine, USA:
How do I know if my 14-year-old son has an eating disorder? He lost 16 pounds over the summer and has kept it off. We struggle to get him to eat. He does seem to bolus when he eats. He is extremely irritable when we point out how little he eats.
Answer:
The typical things a person sees for teens who have diabetes and an eating disorder are: weight loss, increasing blood sugar numbers and increasing A1c, and not checking blood sugars or taking insulin in front of a parent and reporting adherence to these regimens with no proof. Expressing a desire to lose weight or claiming that they are too heavy, or that insulin makes them fat is also common, as is increased time in exercise (e.g., more than an hour a day). If you are worried, please take your son to a diabetes professional with expertise in this area.
JWB
