anorexia info needed..

[george956]

hi, my 12 year old son was diagnosed with anorexia,bulimia  and bipolar,currently hes under state custody due to all hospital and clinics stays over the last year,including 8-10 weeks at dallas child. hosp..... every time he came home he will start all over again...so now im geting ready for him to come back,maybe by end of jan. 2010, but i feel that im not ready,that i have to do more research andget ppl from my fam. to understand this illnes and be able to help him out so he can stop this illnes...if he comes home,and start all over again ,the state will terminate parental rights,and  i will not know what to do without my son,my oldest son  is diagn bipolar,anxiety and probably  schizop... he went trhu anorexia too,but he got over it on time i guess...their mom has a lot to do about their illnes,she's bipolar,schizoprenia,anxiety,anorexia,bolimia.... by the time i wanted to separete from her,it was too late,i dont know if they had  gotten sick if she was not around,but i can't risk to loose my kids... i have to get my own place and get ready for my kids to come back...........thanks for any info on books or sites where i can get info...thanks .....

[Patricia Pitts, PhD]

Eating disorders have a biopsychosocialspiritual treatment focus.  Biological is due to genetics for the the actual anorexia or bulimia.  It can also include other genetic disorders, i.e., bipolar illness, schizophrenia, alcoholism, depression, anxiety, etc.  I would recommend that you work directly with the professionals that are treating your son.  Family treatment is a crucial part of reentry into the home.  Family passes for both the child and the family can be quite instrumental in the readjustment period.  Also, they could best direct you for the specific needs of your son and your family.  To learn some about eating disorders you could visit the bella vita website.  Best to you and your family, Dr Patricia Pitts  Los Angeles, CA

[Cindy]

Hi,

A great place to begin is at the NIMH.  Their contact information is below:

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Science Writing, Press & Dissemination Branch
6001 Executive Boulevard
Room 8184. MSC 9663
Bethesda, MD 20892-9663
Phone [phone]
Toll-free--1.866.615.NIMH (6464)
TTY--301.443.8431
TTY Toll-free--866.415.8051
Fax--301.443.4279
Email: ***@****
Website: NIMH website

[shlee1016]

What can I do to help? I am sure I could answer any questions you might have about the disease, and if I can't, I can find out the answer for you or point you in that direction. It sounds like you have been dealing with this for a while, so have you been doing a lot of research and such? Do you feel like you have an understanding of this illness at all? I mean, I know you don't totally get it if you haven't been through it, but I guess what I'm asking is what you are still wanting to know or learn.

Ashley