Conditions and illnesses

All of us, from time to time, have experienced moments in which a little voice inside our head manages to put us down and make us feel less than perfect. For individuals who have eating disorders, that voice is repetitive and all consuming.

“When negative thoughts about body image get so overwhelming and distressing that they interfere with a child’s or teen’s daily functioning, that should be a red flag that something more is going on,” says Dr. Holly Agostino, a specialist in Adolescent Medicine at the Montreal Children’s Hospital.

Body image is a struggle for any average teenager, but when concerns about appearance, dieting, exercise and weight loss become all-consuming, they can lead to the development of eating disorders.

Dr. Caroline Quach answers your questions

If you think about all the important things you do to ensure your child’s healthy development, does reading ever make it on to your list? It should.

That’s a question that many parents ask from time to time. Insomnia is a disorder in which a person has a hard time falling asleep or has difficulty staying asleep.

If your child has ever had trouble sleeping, you’ve probably lived first-hand what researchers have proven: when a child doesn’t get enough sleep they can develop problems with behaviour, attention, learning or memory.

Carbon monoxide (CO) is an odourless, colourless and tasteless toxic gas. Its effects can occur well before you are even aware of its presence.

Most kids, at one time or another in their childhood or adolescence, will need to take prescription medication to help treat symptoms of a condition or illness. As a parent, you’re the one who has to make sure that—as the old song goes—“the medicine goes down.”

For the approximately 10 to 15 percent of teenagers who live with chronic or complicated health conditions, the excitement of celebrating their 18th birthday might also be mixed with worries about making the transition to adult care.