I Think My Dad Has an Eating Disorder. Help?
Question by Kayla: I think my dad has an eating disorder. Help?
I have only begun to notice his food behavior within the last year. It all started when I heard him vomiting. Of course it’s normal for people who are feeling ill to vomit, except that this continued. A few nights after the first time i heard it, he did it again. Then again a few nights later, and then again. Sometimes I hear him vomiting a few days in a row, and sometimes I don’t until a few nights after. I noticed that he tends to do it early in the morning or late a night, and in the bathroom downstairs so no one hears it. Both my mom and brother have poor hearing, so I’m the only one who hears him doing it. I asked my mom about it, but she just blows it off saying “he has a sensitive stomach, and is always eating too much”. His vomiting is not the only issue. Within the last year, he has lost SO much weight! Really fast too. All my friends who see him, keep telling me how he’s so skinny now compared to what he was, and they’re surprised. How did he lose the weight so quickly, if he doesn’t even exercise? Also, he has an obsession with weight. He keeps telling me to watch how I eat, so I don’t gain weight. I’m 5’5 and 115 pounds? I’m not overweight, nor am I close to being overweight. He also always asks me and my family members if he looks fat. It’s really annoying. He’s not overweight. When it comes to how he eats, he eats okay from what I noticed. He’ll skip a meal or two, but when he eats, he eats a lot. He’s not watching his calorie intake or anything, because he’ll eat bad food, and then chocolate after or something.
So I’m confused, does he have an eating disorder? And if so, how can I persuade my mom (who’s in denial) that he has one, and how can I get him help? Mind you, he is foreign, so I don’t think he will be into the whole “go see a specialist” idea.
Best answer:
Answer by cady90
It sounds to me like he might have bulimia nervosa;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulimia_nervosa
He will definitely need help. It doesn’t just affect weight, it also affects teeth, hair, stomach, fertility etc.
Have you spoke to him about it? Because maybe you should, see what he says. He will likely deny there’s a problem, but if there is a problem it will be fairly obvious in what he says.
Your mum is probably in denial because she either hasn’t seen any evidence of such a thing happening, or she just doesn’t want to believe it. In most cases it’s the latter, and such a person usually needs advice themselves in dealing with this issue.
The best thing would be for you to seek help for your dad if your mum continues to deny it, because the sooner he gets help the better.
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