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Six-year-old boy treated for anorexia
Last updated at 10:37am on 19.06.07
Issue: Nicholas Pilcher, pictured at eight, spent years eating only cheese spread
A six-year-old is the youngest boy to be treated for anorexia, a study reveals today. It also shows more young boys than girls are being treated for eating disorders such as anorexia.
Figures show 51 hospital admissions last year of boys under 11 with eating disorders and 36 admissions of girls.
Dr Jon Goldin, a consultant child psychiatrist at Great Ormond Street Hospital, said: "There is a whole range of eating disorders that young children suffer from, including compulsive overeating, food phobias or fear of swallowing, and refusing to eat.
"Young boys are more likely to be suffering from selective eating, where they will only eat a very narrow range of foods.
"You do rarely get some who have the problem into adulthood."
The statistics show that in 2003 hospitals made 93 admissions of boys under 10 with eating problems, compared with 21 admissions of girls. The number of individuals may be lower, with some children having multiple admissions.
Lib- Dem MP Sarah Teather, who obtained the NHS figures, said: "Young people are under pressure from all sides these days.
"It is time for a debate about how childhood is changing and politicians should be concerned about the type of issues teenagers are having to deal with at a younger and younger age."
A recent study by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health looked at more than 200 preadolescent children had suffered an eating disorder, of whom 37 were boys.
More than a third of the cases involved anorexia, including those of a six-year-old and an eight-year-old. From the age of two until he was six, Nicholas Pilcher ate nothing but cheese spread.
Even now, after years of successful treatment at Great Ormond Street Hospital, the 15-year-old still struggles to eat vegetables and eats soft cheese on all his sandwiches.
His father Malcolm, 42, a BT product manager, said: "It was very tough. Nicholas used to starve himself rather than eat anything but Dairylea.
"It has been a long and complicated process. We never got a conclusion on why he ate the way he did."
Reader views (3)
This is more of a fear of food than a fear of being fat. My 7 year old son has a similar problem not starving and healthy. He just eats a few foods. Will not eat at all if it has a funny smell or texture.
- Karen, Texas, USA.
In this day in age I don't think basing these statistics is relevant at all. Do the supporting numbers take into account the number of girls who likely suffer from the very same eating disorders but are not admitted to a hospital or clinic? I argue society places different expectations on our children and are likely more inclined to report an eating disorder for a boy rather than a girl.
The reported statistics are nevertheless startling. I hope the research helps with improving treatment for all ages who suffer from an eating disorder.
- Nick, London, Canada
Surely this is nothing new? My son, who is now 24, would only eat sausages with the skin removed and chips until around the age of 8. Admittedly, he would also eat sweets but real food was ONLY sausages with the skin removed and chips!
I think that making children aware of eating disorders will only encourage them to have them, indulge them and they will be indulged, do not indulge them and they will not be indulged!
- Kim, London
