Expert: Meg - 7/7/2004

Question
Hi Meg-I have had anorexia,bulimia, overexercising before-as
well as a prob with over-eating. Now I am a size 3 in juniors and
weigh 108... I am supposed to weigh 120-am muscular  and
strong...
I was a size 11 in juniors six months ago... Does this qualify as
anorexic-my BMI is 19-so I am healthy according to that-Yet I
know people who are muscular cannot always go by the BMI
calculator-I also get my periods- guess I only have an eating
disorder not otherwise specified.EDNOS for short-what do you
think?
Ashley and thanx for your time!!

Answer
Hi there, Ashley-

I'm sorry that you're having a hard time with all of these eating disorder issues right now and hope that I can help a bit.

While it is pretty impossible for me to diagnose you from a note online, it sounds like you DEFINITELY are struggling with a serious eating disorder and I hope that you can find a way to reach out and get some help at this point.

I *think* what you are asking is what eating disorder do you technically have?  Okay, here is my take on this subject.  The clinical guidelines for eating disorders (in the DSM3R diagostic manuel) are really so that pyschologists and psychiatrists can fit people into a catagory mainly for insurance purposes.  From your symptoms, it sounds like you have a combination of anorexia/ednos (due to the other areas you have/are struggling with as well).  This is actually a lot more common that you would think.  That said, I'm wondering if you feel like you need to neatly *fit* into the clinical mode of anorexia in order feel sick enough to get help.  I know that I went through this myself (and again, its pretty normal to feel inadequate in every area including in being sick).  Truthfully, it doesn't even matter what someone would diagnose you as, as it seems like you are really struggling and probably putting your  body through a lot of stress and harming it.

I'm especially concerned with your rapid weight loss as well as your overexercising.  These can really put stress on your heart and other body systems.  

You can find more information about eating disorders here:
www.something-fishy.org
and I highly recommend that you tell someone what is going on and begin working on this NOW, so that you don't do any more damage to your body and also so that you can feel better about yourself soon.

I hope this helped a bit, and please feel free  to email me again if there is anything more I can clarify.

Take care, okay?
Meg