Post-pandemic surge in child eating disorders: A mother’s story, expert insights

What's it like to watch your 10-year-old son stop eating? What's it like to watch him get weaker and weaker, to see him disappear before your eyes day after day? "From one moment to the next, I felt like I was losing my child," Katerina (not her real name) tells Kathimerini. It happened a year and a half ago. Katerina and her husband, who have always been very close to all three of their children, immediately went to the pediatrician when they noticed that the little one had lost some weight. He told them not to worry. It was the beginning of puberty and it was normal for weight to fluctuate. His blood work was fine, so everyone was reassured.

It was May. By August, the child's condition had deteriorated dramatically. He had gone from 47 to 34 kilos. "During that time, he had gradually reduced his meals. He went from five to four, then three, then two, then one. He got to...