My husband unfairly blames me for our son’s eating disorder | Ask Annalisa Barbieri

Perhaps your son’s aversion to food is a symptom of a wider anxiety – finding ways to talk about it is key to discovering its cause

Every week Annalisa Barbieri addresses a problem sent in by a reader

My husband and I have two teenage boys, the youngest being 14. Our younger son has struggled with anxiety and low self-esteem, issues that were exacerbated during the Covid pandemic. One of his primary challenges is around food. He is very underweight, ranking in the lowest 1% for both height and weight.

While my husband and I generally agree on the nature of the problem and the potential solution-seeking help from health professionals and carefully considering how to support our son’s weight gain, we find ourselves constantly at odds.

Every week, Annalisa Barbieri addresses a personal problem sent in by a reader. If you would like advice from Annalisa, please send your problem to ask.annalisa@theguardian.com. Annalisa regrets she cannot enter into personal correspondence. Submissions are subject to our terms and conditions.

The latest series of Annalisa’s podcast is available here.

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My husband unfairly blames me for our son’s eating disorder | Ask Annalisa Barbieri

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Related

I’m in my 30s, and my lack of close friends is making me sad | Ask Annalisa Barbieri

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