Expert: Joanne - 6/29/2007

Question
I have a 16 year old nephew that has been purging after meals. This was first
noticed about a year ago. Our family has talked with him and felt comfortable
it was no longer going on. A couple of days ago we have reason to believe it
never stopped. He is a healthy and very active young man. He is 6' 2" and
maybe 160 pounds. There is no family history. He is way to conscious about
his diet especially for someone his age.

What should our next step be? How do we deal with this?

Answer
I would recommend confronting him, but in a sensitive caring way, letting him know that you will be there to support him.

He may need a gentle push to see his Dr, but if this has been going on for some time, he will really need to be medically checked.  If he refuses to see his Dr, please encourage it, but don't force him into it, and try to avoid arguements with him over any of this!

I recommend that you and your family visit www.something-fishy.org and have a look at the message boards on which friends and family of sufferers can post, and you may find some answers there.  You nephew may also find this site helpful as it also has a board for sufferers.

Unfortunately, I come from your nephew's side of the fence, and therefore struggle to think about what to do from the side of family and friends, but I know when I did have a friend going through a similar experience to me, it was helpful just for her to know that she could talk to us!

Please feel free to come back if you have any other questions, or if your nephew has questions, please pass on this site.

All the best to you and your family
Holly