Here is my question: I have a female friend who is 16 years old. She weighs between 100 to 105 pounds. Also, she is 5 feet 4 inches tall.
She is doing several things. First, she went on a water diet and lost about 10 pounds. Then, she tried diet pills, once almost overdosed. Then, she tried laxatives same result. Then after I had coaxed her back to eating and having a good self-esteem, she is convinced she is fat.
Now, she eats breakfast, works out, goes to school, has barely anything for lunch, goes home, exercises like a fanatic, eats like a horse, purges herself and continues to exercise. What is her problem and what are the solutions?
Thank you.
Your friend probably has anorexia and bulimia. Anorexia because she has a distorted body image of being fat when for her height she is already 8 pounds underweight, starving herself on water, abuse of diet pills and laxatives as well as excessive exercise. Bulimia because she binges on foods and then purges as well as the diet pill and laxative use.
Tell her she looks unhealthy. Your encouragement and support to get your friend into treatment is the best option. She needs therapy to deal with her issues that are supporting these behaviors which are psychological in nature. Unless she deals with her eating disorder now, it will continue to get worse with more weight loss and more binging. You can’t fix this for her, but you can encourage her to seek therapy. You can even offer to go with her.
Is there any adult she trusts to discuss what she is doing? School counselor? Relative? Neighbor? Do her parents know and if they do, what are they doing to get your friend help?
