Dr. Robert Needlman
Specialist in pediatric behavior and development.
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 Ask Dr. Needlman
Three-Year-Old Vomits to Lose Weight | | | QUESTION | | | Dear Dr. Needlman,
My niece is three years old and four months. My daughter is three years old and two months. My daughter looks and is heavier and stronger than my niece. My niece doesn't have food or sleep or school schedules. What worries me is that yesterday, after eating, she went into the bathroom and prepared herself a glass of water with soap and drank it until she threw up, when asked why she answered that she doesn't want to be fat. Her mother is on the heavy side, but I know she is not bulimic; she does worry about dieting a lot. My niece is underweight and under height, is it possible that she is suffering from bulimia or anorexia? What are the symptoms?— Susana in Carora, Lara, Venezuela | | | ANSWER |
April 10, 2001 | | | Dear Susana,
Without examining your niece and speaking with her mother, I can't make a diagnosis. The behavior you describe, a child drinking soapy water to make herself vomit is worrisome. Children naturally eat and grow; a behavior that is directly opposite to that deep instinct suggests that something is seriously wrong.
Anorexia nervosa and bulimia--together referred to as eating disorders--occur mostly in adolescents and young adults. In a preschool-age child, self-induced vomiting may be an extremely early sign of bulimia, but more likely it is something different--either a bizarre learned behavior, or the the sign of a serious psychological disturbance. In either case, a pediatrician or experienced family doctor and a child psychologist or psychiatrist needs to evaluate your niece. As the aunt, you may need to take an active role in convincing the mother to seek this help. It is important that she does.
To learn more about eating disorders, see the eating disorders program.— by Robert Needlman, M.D., F.A.A.P. |
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