Anxiety and Eating?????

[T.J.Skailette]

I've been having a lot of trouble at home lately, I deal with anxiety and depression and find it all too much to take combined with my life. I'm good at hididng it all, but when something gets to me (which it does alot) I don't eat. I can't and if i do, I end up throwing it up!? Is this balemia or anorexia or worse? Can anyone please give a little advise?

[Harlequin.]

Hi there,

I'm sorry you're going through such a difficult time right now. However, please know that you aren't ever alone, and that we're always here to provide you with help and support.

It is common for people to lose their appetite when they're under stress, or are suffering from depression. Now, we can't diagnose you with anything- we aren't medical professionals. However, if you are finding it difficult to eat because you feel guilty or ashamed after eating, or you've deliberately lost a lot of weight, then you could possibly have an eating disorder. It's very difficult to label eating disorders- when I was in treatment, I was told barely anybody who suffered from an eating disorder actually matched every single piece of criteria for either anorexia or bulimia. However, generally, anorexia is characterized by an irrational fear of gaining weight and therefore not eating ("restricting") enough food to keep your body working properly, which can eventually lead to death if not treated. Other health effects include loss of hair, feeling constantly cold, slower heartbeat, heart failure and organ failure.

Bulimia, however, is where you starve and starve until you're so hungry you feel an uncontrollable urge to eat everything in sight, going on a "binge". Sufferers then purge themselves of this food either by starving themselves, making themselves throw up, or exercising until they think they've burned off all the excess calories. Health effects of bulimia include rotted teeth, bad breath, ruptured stomach, weakness, dizziness and also weight gain.

If you think you have an eating disorder, or are worried about your behavior around food, it's probably best you tell a trusted adult or doctor. Eating disorders are serious, and can spiral out of control in a matter of days in my experience. If you feel you can't tell anyone face to face, how about writing a letter? This is also a good way of telling people because it means you aren't interrupted, and also the people reading the letter have chance to calm down and reflect on what's being said before confronting you. It's important to remember that many people really have no idea of what's been going on, and so it's likely to be a shock to them. How about you leave a few leaflets beside the letter, or web page addresses so they can find out some more information about eating disorders, and how to help?

Take care. Remember that you aren't alone, and that we're always here for you. If you ever need anyone, I'm here.

~Laura

[BlueWolf]

I go through long periods where I stop eating entirely because of anxiety (it got so bad I was hospitialized once), and when I try to a little I end up throwing it up. For me, it is all from my anxiety, not an eating disorder.

Do you force yourself to throw up? If you do, that could be an eating disorder. If not, that could be anxiety.

Think about why you are not eating. Do you feel guilty about it? Or is it because you are upset about something unrelated to eating?

Whether it is anxiety or an eating disorder, you may want to talk to someone about it and see a doctor. They can help you or refer you to someone who can.

[Coexist.]

Hey there,

As others have pointed out, these habits are not anorexia or bulimia, which are very specific eating disorders with very specific diagnostic criteria, but rather, these are symptoms of your anxiety. We cannot diagnose you specifically, since nobody on this site is qualified to, but at this point, these habits are bordering a type of anxiety disorder or eating disorder. Is there somebody in your life who you can talk to about how you are feeling, rather than taking it out on your body in such a matter?

If you don't have any adult in your life who you can trust, I would recommend finding ways to cope with your anxiety. Maybe start exercising, find an alternative to self harm that can help calm you down during anxious times. You're always free to PM me as well as Laura. We're here to help you through this.

[Glitter.]

Hey there, I'm really sorry you're struggling right now. I can understand the pain you're probably feeling, as I've been there. And I can also relate to an Eating Disorder.

First, understanding Eating Disorders are tough- even if you're struggling with one. Simply throwing up doesn't make you Bulimic. It could be a bunch of different things. You could very well be anxious. Throwing up and feeling nauseous could be a side effect of anxiety. If you're forcing yourself to throw up, then that could be Bulimia. I'm not a doctor, so I can't diagnose you with anything. Not eating is a problem though. You obviously need food to fuel your body. In fact, eating is just one of many ways to cope with stress and anxiety. It's also a way to gain control over something, especially when you think you lack the control in other areas.

I think that you should consider talking to someone like a counselor. Or perhaps a trusted teacher? You don't have to go through these things alone. It's harder to cope with everyday life when you don't have a support system. Do you think you're able to talk to the people in your lives about this? If you don't think you can verbalize your emotions, try writing them out and handing them to the people you feel comfortable sharing them with. It's always hard opening up to people, but it gets easier the more and more that you do it. The things you're dealing with are pretty serious, and you shouldn't let them get out of hand if you can help it.

Take care<3

[survivor16]

Hey, I'm sorry you are struggling with this, remember that here is always help and you are not alone.

Second, as we are not able to diagnose you with anything all we can do is give advice. Like the above posts have said, if you are not eating because you want to loose weight, then that might be a problem.
Also if you are throwing up purposefully, that's not good.
But a lot of people loose their hunger when they are dealing with emotional things already. That's not abnormal at all!

But if you are worried about this being an issue, you should talk to an adult you trust or a professional. If you notice yourself not getting any better that might be a good plan too.

I hope this helped in some way, again I'm sorry you are dealing with this! I hope that you are able to overcome this quickly.

Shelby