Our Daughter May Be Bulimic

My husband and I suspect that our 25 year old daughter may be experiencing bulimic behavior.  She lives approximately 250 miles away, is a single young lady, very beautiful, college graduate, holds down a great job, and has never had anything like this before.  She has always been so "put together" and very confident.  We have noticed some irritability (not at all like her), significant weight loss over the last five week period, believe she may be vomiting following meals, and recently observed swollen feet and legs.  She explained this condition as a food reaction. We carefully questioned her regarding an eating disorder, but she denies this.  What can we do?  We are beside ourselves and feeling desperate.  PLEASE HELP!

[Patricia Pitts, PhD]

Dear Worriedmother 427,

Losing significant weight in a 5 week period and edema alone is alarming.  Has your daughter sought medical attention for these symptoms or her “food reaction”?  If so, would she authorize you to speak with her medical doctor?  

If not, you could recommend her seeing a medical doctor who specialized in eating disorders to effectively treat her symptoms and to assess for an eating disorder.  

Since she’s 25 and sounds like she’s financially set, she will have to be open to your involvement.  I would focus on the significant weight loss and edema as reflecting medical instability needing immediate attention.

For more information on eating disorders, please visit our website at www.thebellavita.com.

Dr. Patricia Pitts
The Bella Vita
Los Angeles, CA