Expert: Joanne - 9/5/2007

Question
heyy.
my friend is 12-13 years of age. About just under 5ft tall and weighs 5 stone is this a normal weight? he says he only eats 500 calories a day sometimes not even that! is this bad? im really concerned for him. he shows obvious sighns of anerexia. like excercising alot, looking at callories and not eating much. please reply i dont want to loose him his one of my best mates and i want to atleast do something to help him.
please reply to my email.
thankyou
chris.

Answer
As your friend is so young, if you suspect as serious health condition such as an eating disorder, I recommend that you tell an adult you feel you can trust and can act to help!

Consider telling a teacher yout trust, or a parent.  If your friend has an eating disorder, he will need professional help!  All you can do is be there to support him.

Please visit www.something-fishy.org to find other ways in which you can help your friend.  There may also be stuff there that your friend might find helpful.

Please feel free to get back in touch if you or your friend have anything else you would like to ask or discuss!

All the best
Holly