help

[Luck12]

Hello, I'm 18 years old and within the past month I have been eating large amounts of food and then making myself throw it all up. About a year ago was the first time i started this behaviour which carried on for about 4 months, but i managed to stop and eat healthy and exercise. Now i am back at university which has brought a lot of stress and less time to exercise and so i've started again. Also in the week that has just been, i have been skipping meals. I really don't want my parents to find out, so i've gone to the length of hiding food in my room. I havn't told any of my friends and i don't have a doctor that i would feel comfortable going to. Therefore do you think that i could have an eating disorder? and seeing that i've only started purging again for a month should i see a doctor?

[Patricia Pitts, PhD]

You do want to stop the purging as soon as possible.  Purging is life threatening and can cause a lot of physical problems.  It sounds like you are going back to controlling your food and weight as a way to manage your stressors.  Lettting your parents in on this is important.  You need their emotional support.  They can help you get to the appropriate professionals.  To learn more about eating disorders and level of cares you could visit the bella vita website.  Best, Dr Patricia Pitts

[Rach878]

Hello,
I'm also 18, and have had an eating disorder for 6 years already.
I know that you've only started up again in the past month, but i do think you have an eating disorder. Techniqullly, a doctor can not dignose you with bulimia unless you've been doing this over a period of i believe 3 month, so many times a week. But you sound very much how i started. I was 13, and it was an occasional binge/purge. Then it was once a week, once every day, up to 5/6 times a day. Within the past year i am where your going. I've started restricting meals, only eating dinner, which i then throw up. I've lost 30lbs, in 3 months, but am facing serious health risks, already. I am not telling you this to scare you, or to make you think wow 30lbs and 3 months that's good, because it isn't. I'm looking at spending my summer in a treatment center.
I do believe that you should see a doctor to make sure your ok, girls have died from heart attacks within a few months from bulimia. Also tell your doctor, if she can't positiviley diagnoise you, that your worried about this become a much more serious problem, I doubt she;ll turn you away without help.
Do you still live at home? It may be important to tell your family, and maybe start seeing a counsler who specializes in eating disorers. The longer you have an eating disorder, the harder it is to give up, and the more medical damage you do.
If you want to talk further you can pm me anytime.