Expert: Joanne - 9/19/2006

Question
I really appreciate your advice. But You're saying to go to a family friend for help and to confide in. But I cant really do that. Everybody in my family already thinks I have so much wrong with me  because a couple months back they found out I was cutting and I ended up in a mental instituation for a couple weeks after I tryed to kill myself. So coming to them would not be so easy this time around, my moms a nurse and so are my two sisters and they said that I was just being dramatic in the past and none of them can really understand or relate to me. And confiding in a doctor wouldnt be that easy either, cause my mom would find out and lets just say it wouldnt be a good thing. Im not saying I really even have a problem because Im not sure I do. I just fit a lot of the characteristics for Anorexia. But you did open my eyes to the possibility that I might be.        
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Followup To

Question -
I'm 5'9" and weight roughly 125. Im obsessed with my food in take and exercising enough. I keep a journal of what I eat daily. I asually eat half a  sndwich a day maybe a little more, or I just dont eat at all. And I work out about 2 hours every night and do about 200 crunches a night. I feel that Im getting fat so I dont eat as much in hope that I will get those compliments I got in the past. My friends tell me I'm not fat but I think they're lying to me in fear that i will get upset. Every day I fear Im going to eat to much and gain so much weight that theres no point in even showing my face. I feel healthy and I dont realy get sick that often, I might get a little dizzy here and there and get a little shakey but for the most part I feel fine...fat..but still fine.
But as I was looking on the internet I was looking at some symptoms of Anorexia and I fit a lot of the characters. Am I sick? Or just watching my weight?

Answer -
The minute you say that you are 'obsessed' with your food intake, alarm bells should ring.  People should only be obsessed if they have to follow a strict diet for health reasons, if you are doing it for your own reasons, there may be a problem.

You are underweight for your height, not dangerously, but still are!  The fact that you don't eat at all, or eat very little is also a problem as you are missing out on vitamins that your body needs for just normal everyday activities!

Dizziness is not good!  That is most likely down to a low blood glucose level or dehydration, although it is just slight dizziness just now, that can become faints or even seizures in severe cases (I have a seizure disorder which has been put down as being partly caused by my eating habits, so have to be very careful now!)

From what you have described, you may be developing an eating disorder, but you will need to see a professional to have that confirmed!  I recommend that you go to a Dr and tell him the truth about your eating habits and see what he suggests!  I also think that it is a great idea to maybe meet with a therapist and just have a chat with them and see what they think.  

You obviously recognise that you have a problem that you are looking up Anorexia and have contacted me, and that is the first hurdle overcome - admitting to having the problem!  Now I think that you should consider confiding in a friend or relative that can be there to support you through whatever happens next!

Please think about getting professional help.  These illnesses can be deadly, and the sooner they are treated, the better the outcome in most cases.  If these go on in the long-term, you are storing up a number of health complaints for yourself in later life.  Please think seriously about this!

Come back if you have any other questions, or need someone to talk to.  If I can help support you in the hope of complete recovery, please feel free to contact me again!

All the best
Holly

p.s - you phoning that Dr yet?

Answer
How old are you?  After the age of something like 14, everything you tell your Dr is kept strictly confidential, so no matter what you tell your Dr, it should not be getting back to your mum.  If it is, I would serioulsy think about complaining about the conduct of your Dr.  There are confidentiality rules in place for a reason.

I know that it can be hard to confide in people.  I always thought that my parents would laugh at me if I told them, and my grandparents would have had me locked up as they went through hell with my aunt when she was anorexic as a teen.

You mention you were in an institution, did you receive any after care? Did you continue to meet with a counsellor or something?  If you did, I would consider trying to get back in contact with them.  Very few places will 'lock you up' for having an eating disorder now unless you are dangerously ill and need to be force fed or die.

If you aren't comfortable getting real-time help, I would maybe think about looking at support sites online that could maybe give you the support you are needing.
I personally recommend www.somethingfishy.org  I think that this site is very good at making sure that everything is supportive and very carefully monitored so that there is nothing posted that could fuel your eating problems.

I hope that this has helped slightly more.  I would still consider seeing a Dr, if not your own, try and make an appointment with another, maybe someone that has experience in the area.

Holly