Expert: Joanne - 6/12/2008

Question
i eat plenty but after eating i feel guilty so i make myself sick i am waiting to be assessed for therapy and to be housed for treatment but don't know if i will be accepted i weigh 5 and a half stone my partner seems to think it would be better for me not to eat hardly anything than to eat and then make myself sick is this true as i am at my wits end and my partner and family do not know what to do for my best interest or how to come to terms with the situation

Answer
Kelley

Unfortunately funded treatment (fully or partly) tends to be given to those considered most ill first!  This doesn't take into consideration how long you have had it or how much you are suffering as a consequence, but most commonly depends up on how much you weigh and your BMI!  This means that people that desperately need help now, or even want the help may not receive it when they need it most as it is given to those considered most at risk due to their weight, even if they aren't suffering from many of the horrible consequences yet!

I would not recommend not eating in order to stop making yourself sick.  Both are associated with serious health complications, and I would urge you to try your best to do neither.  Maybe while waiting for treatment, it may be worth eating small numerous meals in the day rather than meals or binging that may make you need to purge!

I think that you just need to continue fighting for the help that you need!  There is no way that you should feel that you are not entitled to this treatment, so should continue to pursue it at all costs.  You need to be completely honest when being assessed so as to ensure that they understand how much this impacts on your life, but also show your willingness to try to get better.

Joanne