Anorexic at three

Kids as young as 3 treated in hospital London - Arabstoday A child of three is among hundreds of youngsters receiving hospital treatment for eating disorders, a report has revealed. Doctors said society pressures to conform to 'perfect' body images were fueling cases of anorexia and bulimia. Shocking figures released yesterday found two six-year-olds and four seven-year-olds were referred for treatment in one area alone. One child who was given life-saving help was just three. But doctors say the statistics are just the tip of the iceberg, with few sufferers actually get treatment. Dr Malcolm Bourne, a child psychiatrist at East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust, said doctors only see one-in-five children who are suffering from eating disorders. 'Evidence shows that it can take 18 months to two-and-a-half years for children to realise they have an eating disorder or seek treatment for it,' he said. 'We only work with children up to 16 years of age, and the majority of eating disorders in children start in the teens, so some will end up being treated in adult services. 'Long term eating disorders have the worst death rates in child mental health. Around five per cent die from them eventually, people can be very resistant to treatment.' The report published yesterday showed 125 children under 18 have been treated for eating disorders by the East Lancashire Child and Adolescent Service (ELCAS) since 2007. The majority of those helped - 109 - were aged 12 to 16. But many were under 10, including the three-year-old, who was treated earlier this year.