Eating disorders in children. Diagnosis and age-specific treatment.
The symptoms of children with eating disorders change as these children age. In each age group, the diagnosis, evaluation, and treatment should be tailored to the developmental level of the child and should address the needs of the child's family. With early diagnosis and treatment comes the opportunity to avoid long-term sequelae of chronic eating disorders in adults. Pediatric eating-disordered patients are not "miniature adults" who can be treated by an adult protocol or unit that does not address their developmentally specific needs. With appropriate evaluation and treatment, eating disorders can be stopped in childhood.
Robb
A S
AS
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Pediatrics, Children's National Medical Center, Washington, DC, USA. arobb@cnmc.org
D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male