Name: Vicki

Dallas, TX

Number of kids: 2

Ages of kids: 6 and 8

I suffered with anorexia as a teen. Now that I have children I see the same condition in them (although I thought I was careful not to show them my behavior about food). As I look back, my mother also had this ailment (she was so busy serving us she never ate). I just wanted to warn teenagers with this condition that it continues long after they start eating again. I regret passing it to my children.

Another Opinion submitted by Marie from Tuscon, AZ: Hello, I don't know any info related to anorexia as a disease you can inherit, but anything is possible and medical science has much more work to do with this subject. It was very new to Doctors in the 70s. This disease has been around for years but we have it as different labels. Also, society has a lot to do with women feeling that they are not good enough ( thin enough).

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Another Opinion submitted by Kristy2 from O'Fallon, MO: I didn't know that anorexia is inherited. I, too, suffered from the disorder as a teen (I am now 30), but I've been the only one in my family to have it, but both my sister and my mother are very thin. You are so right. You may start eating again, but the disorder will always be w/ you. I still weigh myself daily & work out 5 days a week (I'm 5'4", 112 lbs.). My daughter is 12 and weighs more than me which is really hard for her. I try to install healthy eating habits, so she won't go through what I did and tell her that being super skinny is not realistic nor healthy- even though, regretfully, I don't heed my own advice.

NEW!Another Opinion submitted by Babe from Dublin, Ireland: Hi. Although I'm not a parent a have a story and a plea about this disease. If any doctors involved in research or any researcher reading this could they please decide to do some research into this problem. Now for my story. For the past 3 years I am suffering with this problem and given half a chance I would gladly keep it on. I went in to hospital 2 years ago to get over it. I put on the weight but I had depression before that so I stayed in the hospital for a while longer. I felt then it was about time I moved out of home so I went to live with my sister. September of last year I went into hospital. At this stage I was 4.5 stone. While I was there I developed pneumonia so I had to stay in bed. Then I had a respiratory arrest. An anethsatist comes into the hospital once a week and luckily he was there when it happened. He revived me and put me on a number of different machines. Then I got sirrosis (poisoning) of the blood and my kidneys packed in. Then didn't have enough equipment for me so I was moved to another hospital where I was put into intensive care. 2 months and 5 days later I was allowed home. While I'm still not better I just wanted to share my story because if nothing else then maybe it could help others.

Feel free to send in your own opinions regarding this article or anything else regarding parenting.