What Parents CAN Do

Parents are often told what they should NOT do when a loved one has an eating disorder. At F.E.A.S.T. we concentrate on what parents CAN do:

Parents can provide a safe environment for recovery in their home
Parents can seek and evaluate clinical treatment options
Parents can take control of eating and food until the patient is able to do so independently
Parents can insist on effective treatment whether the patient is living at home, in hospital, or in long-term residential care
Parents can quit or cut back on other obligations to concentrate on supporting a loved one
Mothers and fathers can support each other emotionally and practically
Parents can insist on treatment that ensures full nutrition and normalizing eating behaviors
Parents can put boundaries on eating disorder and activity behaviors in their homes
Parents can offer financial assistance while a loved one is out of work
Parents can refuse to financially support a loved one who is not in effective treatment
Parents can refuse to support ineffective treatment
Parents can become educated in eating disorders by consulting evidence-based experts and reading widely in professional and lay literature
Parents can form educated opinions on treatment
Parents can insist on communication with the treatment team
Parents can be part of the treatment team
Parents can pay for treatment and keep a patient insured
Parents can educate extended relatives and community about the current science in eating disorders
Parents can take care of siblings and extended family affected by the illness
Parents can offer emotional support during the suffering of eating disorder recovery
Parents can give up activities and habits that conflict with a loved one's recovery
Parents can insist on patients signing waivers for communication with treatment providers
Parents can put aside conflicts with spouse or other family members to present a common voice to the patient
Parents can speak out in the media about how eating disorders affect the whole family
Parents can get involved with advocacy and education in the eating disorder world
Parents can make personal changes based on what they learn about eating disorders
Parents can offer support to other families struggling with this disease
Parents can seek treatment for themselves if they have illnesses or eating disordered behaviors
Parents can refuse to give up

F.E.A.S.T. is registered as a nonprofit organization under section 501(c)(3) of the United States Internal Revenue Code.
Information on this site is meant to support, not replace, professional consultation. Unless otherwise noted, content is edited by F.E.A.S.T. volunteers with assistance from our Professional Advisory Panel.

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This page was last updated: 12/14/2010 2:10:46 PM