Does my friend have an eating disorder?
Hey :) so i have a bestfriend who is a girl and she is 14 years old and so am I. She has been a vegetarian since she was 11 and she used to love meat so her being a vegetarian was a shock. She then started to talk about various diets and weight although she ate perfectly fine. At age 13, she always talked about weight and calories and I never gave in to it and always told her to stop because i didnt want to hear that stuff. She never stopped. After that summer, i saw her. I could not it, she was half the size she was before, and she used to be perfect weight. I asked her why this happened, and she said that her metabulism must be getting really high because she was eating loads so there was no reason for her weight loss. I believed her for a while, but now i see what her behaviour is like these days: - when she comes to my house, she will not eat anything or even drink anything. We even offer her salad and maybe 1% of the time she eats it, other times she would say "thats ok im full i had food at home" - we went out to the mall once from 11 AM until 7PM and all she had during that time was a coffee, but i obviously had food. - she is not doing strenuous exercise (that i know of) but people say that they see her walking, but maybe she wants some fresh air. - she wears a pedometer and she denies it but i always see it when she stretches - she looks in the mirror and sticks out all her bones and then says "oh my god look at my bones" in a proud way and it really annoys me - she always looks at her wrists and admires them because theyre so skinny. - she sometimes says "ugh im starving" and when we get to the kitchen and offer her food, she would say "not hungry" There are soomany things but i just cant think of them right now. So yeah im pretty sure she has anorexia, but what kind? I told her i think she does and she should get help but she laughed and said that she is fine.. I am honestly worried about her. What should i do? Thanks :-) xx
What do I do if my friend has an eating disorder and doesn't want to be helped?
It takes time to gain your friend’s trust. The last thing she would want is for someone to impose what she should do which would only make her retaliate more. Continue to be her support system. Continuously assure her that you love and care for her unconditionally.There’s a Naturopathic Doctor named Razi Berry who guested on Learn True Health. She shared her eating disorder situation on the show and how she got herself out of it. Check it out. You’ll learn some tips on how to handle your friend who has an eating disorder.Here’s the link of the episode on Youtube:
How to tell my best friend i have an Eating Disorder?
I've had ednos/anorexia for a bit over two years now (although i didn't realise i actually had a problem till last year). I havent told a soul on this earth!! My few of my friends have questioned me about EDs and done a little friendly teasing but i always denied it. I also have Trichotillomania and Dermatillomania (google them) which a few of my friends know about... but i feel as if they don't care. Both of those were caused by the stress of my ED and some family issues. I have no idea how i'm going to go about telling my best friend about my ed... I desperately need to tell someone. I feel like i'm going to burst!! I'm a VERY secretive person and have alot of troubles expressing myself and i also have troubles with trusting people. The easy option out is telling her on skype.. its not as personal though. I don't know how she'll react in person... She said to me before that she gets worried, but i'm quick to change the subject. So down to my question.. How do i tell my best friend that i have an ED?? (personal experiences would be good) thanks heaps
Do my friends care that I have an eating disorder?
First and foremost--if you desire to ask for help...ASK! Your personal friends in college, if truly your friends, will indeed care. Please know that care does imply understanding or the capacity to offer real help. If you have a trusted friend, ask for their support and presence and perhaps help in identifying, choosing and speaking with one of the many campus support staff that are there to help you. Find a professor, counselor, pastor, RA, neighborhood friend who is a mom/dad "sub" etc... and yes, take your friend if they are willing, but find support from an older adult. Perhaps the presence of a friend holding your hand will give you courage to reach out to someone who has the wisdom, maturity, compassion and resources to offer you more than empathy, hugs and concern. The things a friend can offer that a mentor/adult cannot ARE important, invaluable BUT NOT ALL THAT YOU NEED. An eating disorder can kill you, consume you or ruin and overshadow your life for decades to come. If you are asking this question, you are not consigned to dying this way--hold on to that, talk to a friend and go see someone. If you are too afraid or ashamed to do so, try calling the campus counseling office anonymously and ask for community resources that may offer a level of privacy and anonymity which would allow you to be more open and honest.If the prospect of this is too frightening, understandably so, you can seek ED help from national and local resources. The NEDA has some great starting points for seeking general help and the resources to point you to local resources in your city or state. http://www.nationaleatingdisorde... No matter what--please know that you are not alone. While I do not know you, I CARE. You are worth saving, even if at this moment you don't believe it--you are. Today "a way out" and "recovery" may seem like impossible, foolish wishes--but for today, for this very moment, the first step is looking at your fear, your pain, your desire to live another way and take a risk...ask for help. You have everything to lose if you don't. You ARE WORTH saving, helping and being cared for. I am trying to figure out a way to either message you or allow you to message me while maintaining some anonymity, as I know that often helps face the fear of looking an ED in the face and asking for help. Courage to you dear.
How do you tell your friends that you have had an eating disorder in the past and are still struggling with it? I mean, at some point you ought to tell them, right?
I have had bulimia for nine years now. It is not clinical any more, but it is still there.Some of my friends know, but most do not. If I count it, in total I told about it to seven people, three of them are not part of my life any more (due to their own choice).It is certainly hard for them to see someone they love hurt himself and not being able to do anything about it. One of my friends told me to call her any time I feel like binging and purging or at least to call her afterwards. The thing is sometimes I would have to call her six times per day and any good friend would get tired of it. Also, I cannot imagine how she would react or in what way she would help me. In my case, bulimia is not a tool to lose weight, but it is my stress dealing mechanism. Any time something happens, I feel nervous or anxious, I start overeating. Some people cry, some shout, some are nervous, but I take it all out on myself. Therefore my bulimia is not a normal case, when the person leaves to the bathroom after meal. When I am bulimic, I am usually alone, stressed, anxious or nervous and not being able to deal with those feelings. And I know that the urge to do it is so strong that if anyone would try to stop me, I would be capable of hurting them. So to answer your question, I carefully choose friends whom I tell about my bulimia. There are people that are my best friends and they do not know, and then there are people who are just friends or even acquaintances, and they do now. I choose it by personality, I usually feel whether the person would understand or not. I do not want anyone to be pre-occupied about it, I do not want someone who is going to watch what I do about each meal to know. I just want the people that will truly understand what it is to deal with a mental disorder like and will support me when I ask for help, but will not force it.
I think my friend might have an eating disorder?
Okay so I knew this girl in fifth grade and we were friends but then we went on different paths in middle school. She started going to my school though (now in eighth grade), and we've become friends again, I guess. But the thing is... she's SUPER skinny. She told me she weighs 86 lbs and she's 13, almost 14. Of course that wouldn't worry me as much if I saw her eat. At lunch, she never eats ANYTHING! I've only once seen her eat anything; it was a tiny chocolate bar, and then today I forced her to eat my cookie. She doesn't bring a meal from home or buy lunch from the cafeteria. I flat out asked her if she has an eating disorder. She told me no, she just doesn't like to eat much. This makes no sense to me. How can someone not love (good) food? I asked her if she was hungry, and she said, no, the hunger passed. Another thing: She admits that she's skinny, which is good. But what threw me of is when she basically called me fat. I don't think this is normal behavior of what people with eating disorders do, but it's strange. I am in no way shape or form fat. I'm 15 lbs more than her. I'm 101 lbs, but I'm 5'3 and she's shorter. Can anyone who knows a lot about eating disorders tell me what to do? I don't want to overreact, but I definitely don't want to be at her funeral wishing I told someone that she never eats. (The teachers see but they don't do anything). Do you think she has one? What should I do?
I think my friend has an eating disorder?
I've known my friend since about fourth grade and she's always been really tall for her age and about average size and sometimes a little bit bigger. Ever since she came back to school after last summer she has been vegetarian. She exercises and plays softball. I didn't think much of it at first. But last week she mentioned to me how she had gotten her period in 3 months. She's always cold. She's mentioned yesterday how her fingernails and toenails are turning blue. I don't know this is important but recently she chopped off all of her hair suddenly. shes mentioned how she can see her rib cage and other bones and such. And recently all she's been eating is yogurt and she's been throwing away her other food.We finally convinced her to tell her mom about everything she scheduled a dr. Appt. for tomorrow. I really want to help her through this because I'm pretty sure that she has an eating disorder but I'm not sure what to do. I don't want to directly confront her about it because she doesn't think that she has an eating disorder and she's really sensitive and I don't want to lose her as a friend. But after watching tons of anorexia videos on YouTube it looks like she's in the late stages of an eating disorder. But we're not sure if the guidance counselor knows enough about this to be able to help her and so we don't know what to do now. So I was wondering if any of you guys could offer any ideas of what I could do to help her and get her to open up about what she's feeling.
I think that my friend may have an eating disorder. What should I do?
I think that my friend may have an eating disorder. What should I do?People with eating disorders feel like their lives are out of control in some way. People who binge mirror that out-of-control feeling with their eating, those that starve themselves try to exert extreme control over themselves and their bodies. Some people do both. There is usually an intense fear of gaining weight.People with eating disorders can be resistant to the idea that they have one. If you bring it up to talk to her about, there is a good chance she will deny it, and since this probably more than you should deal with on your own, consider expressing your concerns to her parents, a teacher, the school counselor or school nurse.If you are correct, your friend needs to see her family doctor about her eating behaviour.You can call tel:+1-888-997-3147 for specific advice on how to approach your friend.More:What To Do And SayHow to Help Someone with an Eating Disorder14 Ways To Help A Friend With An Eating Disorder