Hi mums, I need some advice.
I have a 14 year old daughter who I believe is developing an eating disorder. She has lost a lot of weight. At the dinner table she pushes her food around a lot and tries to leave without finishing. Her friend today confided in her mum that my daughter is throwing up after eating. The mum naturally told me. I don’t know where to start. I don’t want to push her further away by pressing her to talk. Would I see a psychologist? We really in Perth. I am open to any suggestions. It is hard being a teen these days, so much body image pressure. We are a normal blended family and she is very loved. She does extremely well at school. I do not believe there is any other issue underlying, but I am not an expert. Please help me help my little girl.
Teen eating disorder
Teen eating disorder
Posted in:
Parenthood Guilt, Teenagers, Tips and Advice
11 Replies
Eating disorders can start for very ordinary reasons at any time. For me it started with wanting to loose a couple of kilos, but my brain couldn’t see that I’d lost well past the a couple of kilos. There are also chemical changes that occur in the brain when someone restricts eating that can cause mental health issues. It’s very complex.
Start with your daughters GP for a check up and referrals. They can help you find a psychologist who works with eating disorders.
I also advise you to seek your own counselling sessions with someone who understands eating disorders. It can be a really frustrating road, some people recover faster than others but it can be infuriating when the person can’t see what is obvious to everyone else.
Also Often eating disorders happen because of he person feels they have no/ very little control in their life. And my restricting what they eat, gives them a sense of control.
My Ed started at 13 because a boy at school called me fat
This triggered anorexic and bulimia this has followed me to today I’m 34
What helped me was my mum talked to me and I broke down. Mum had me into the ED clinic and ED psychologist straight away. Whilst I am recovered from this i will still have the thought and struggles of a ED for the rest of my life
This is a long hard journey however the sooner you get onto this the better
Talk to her mumma gentle see if she opens up and go from there with GP to a referral to the ED specialist
Good luck mumma
Find the specialists. Call the hospital for information on where to go.
Not sure where you are but there is a very good ED councillor in Cairns - Amanda Long Exchange Consultancy https://www.facebook.com/exchangeconsultancy
She's also written and published a book Translucent War. A great read for ED sufferers and their carers
Reach out... very connected... she'll be able to put you in touch with someone local to you across Australia
First step GP for health check and referrals
PMH have an ED clinic you can contact
Well done for facing it mum - you’re a great mum xx
Feeling for you Mumma. I have just started this road with my daughter after being contacted by the schools guidance councillor. I knew her diet was reduced but didn’t know to what extent (not eating at all during the day at school, telling me she’d had breakfast and not). I took her to the doctor around the same time for some bloods as she’d been complaining of being light headed, feeling sick ect. Doctor suggested some psychologists to see privately. The guidance councillor also referred her to the Child and Youth Mental Health Clinic in our home town (we’re QLD) and the accepted the referral and she’s been assessed, accepted and has had one appointment with a councillor. Along with this they’d like her to see a psychologist and dietician. Start with your GP and see who they recommend. Just for you to be aware, privacy issues limit what they can tell you as the parent about your 14 year olds health. As the parent it’s extremely frustrating and so far I feel very much in the outer but trying hard to stay positive and just do what’s best for my daughter. Big hugs to you Mumma x
Hey hun , my heart goes out to you, I myself have struggled with a eating disorder through my teen and now adult years im in Perth . It’s a complex disorder, The best thing you can do is be calm with her understanding and also remember that the disorder is not her, when taking to her you can try seperate the eating disorder from her, the eating disorder can be quite mean it can fire at you get angry it can lie to you. Acknowledge that you can see she’s struggling, she may get angry at first or deny it and let her know that you know it’s not a choice but there is help available and without help she will get worse,
Sometimes you have to put your foot down and take them to the gp or the emergency department , and say you need the help hun I know it’s hard I know it hurts but you can do this.
My mum took a few admissions in hospital to understand and now she hugs me and she assures me and my disorders said some horrible things at the time and she will assure me otherwise and when I say it hurts she says I know but it will get better ect.
I would start of taking her to a gp or if she’s getting really bad the children’s hospital, they have a eating disorder program there, they are very experienced .
They do inpatient and outpatient and can tell you where to go they may have numbers you can call on their websites and you can talk to someone about it,
A lot of times with eating disorders people can be in denial and try to avoid confrontation and treatment and that’s when you have to let the hospital take over and help. Without seeing a gp and hospital admissions I wouldn’t be here.
A gp can then refer you to camhs children’s mental health service where they can offer more support or refer her also to the children’s hospitals programs
Hey mumma, as a adult who survived years of a eating disorder who still struggles with food and body imagine I wish my mum had noticed I wish my dad had noticed before it became to much of a problem (not my parents fault they didn’t notice they had a child with a drug addiction which distracted them) please please ask her if she is okay please tell her how important she is please tell her she is valued and her worth, please get her to see someone, before the horrible disease and cycle take hold, please do the hard thing now while you still have a little control it is a viscous cycle