Signs of binge eating:

• Child eats a lot of food quickly;
• Child turns to eating large amounts of food when presented with stress;
• Child eats when they are not hungry;
• Child develops an irregular eating pattern (skipping meals, eating at unusual times);
• Child feels ashamed of themselves, and/or is experiencing depression and anxiety;
• Child hides food; and
• Child develops an unhealthy focus on food.

The consequences of binge eating, particularly weight gain, can lead to serious health problems. Some of the health problems that can develop include:

• High cholesterol
• Heart disease
• High blood pressure
• Type 2 diabetes

Why Children Develop Eating Disorders

Many people wonder why children-or adults-develop eating disorders in the first place. There is no known cause for eating disorders and no singular factor to represent all cases. Most medical and mental health experts believe that it is a culmination of factors, which are behavioral, biological and social.

There is an obvious focus in today's society on physical appearances. The culture surrounding us gives children a pretty clear-cut message of what the ideal person should look like and leaves little room for reality. Some children are greatly influenced by these types of messages.

Other children may develop an eating disorder because they struggle with emotional issues such as low self-esteem or worthlessness or the after-effects of abuse. Psychiatric problems can also play a part. If a child suffers from depression, obsessive compulsive disorder, an anxiety disorder or deals with substance abuse it can make them prone to develop an eating disorder.