Do I Have an Eating Disorder? Is It That Serious?

Question by abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz: Do I have an eating disorder? Is it that serious?
I’ve always had eating issues since I was 5 years old. I remember not eating lunch for the whole year (I had bad anxiety and still do) and remember my parents talking to the principal. Anyways, ever since then, I tried to “fit in” and ate lunch and did all the activities (I used to not participate in gym class too). So, overall, my anxiety was just taking over starting at a young age.

At 14, I was depressed and had suicidal thoughts – I was very unhappy. I disappointed my parents, I wasn’t the daughter they always wanted. At 15, the depression got worse and I started cutting myself and my eating habits changed. I would not eat.. or tried not to. I would use a rubber band to snap at my wrists whenever I felt hungry. It kinda got bad to the point where if I did eat too much, my stomach would hurt. At this age, I also tried to purge for the first time and was not successful.

I am 18 now, turning 19 soon. I started my diet back in March and lost 15 pounds. I never had a “bad day” until 3 days ago where I over ate by 500 calories (I only eat 1200 calories a day or less). I’ve heard it’s normal to have 1700 calories but to me, that was too much. I tried purging for the first time and I was successful. I had this weird satisfaction.. and I was really happy because I didn’t need to use any objects or my fingers. The next day, I purged after every meal I ate, except most of the purging was not as “extreme” as other people who would purge would do. I would just purge what looked like a lot of water and small bits of food (although the last purge, a lot came up). Yesterday, I didn’t purge at all even though it was constantly on my mind.. Today I tried to purge after dinner but not much came back up because I was afraid someone would hear me.

I know I have eating issues but I don”t know if I would consider myself to be anorexic or bulimic. I don’t think I’m doing it to an extreme.. but then again, it doesn’t matter how often or how much I do of something, if it becomes an addiction and obsession, I guess I have a problem :\ I don’t know. I shouldn’t have done it ever, the first time, because now it’s constantly on my mind and since I know that I am capable of doing it, I want to do it even more. Even if I just purge a little, I feel better about myself.

Also, I’ve heard that bulimics don’t tend to actually lose any weight. I’m confused though. If a bulimic person eats a lot and purges, wouldn’t they technically be getting rid of all the calories and food they ate? So shouldn’t they be losing weight?

Best answer:

Answer by jannsody
Please make an appointment with a licensed mental health counselor to discuss your symptoms and concerns.

For more information re: (regarding) eating disorders, here is a site (though *not* in place of professional counseling): http://www.something-fishy.org

This site may have some local counseling agencies, too: http://store.samhsa.gov/mhlocator

For more info re: self-harm: http://helpguide.org/mental/self_injury.htm

The “american dietetic association” has some healthful eating tips and a “search engine” to look for a registered dietitian (RD): http://www.eatright.org

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