TeenHelp - Do I have an eating disorder?

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Do I have an eating disorder?

Hey, so basically I'm here to ask if I have an eating disorder. I think I'm bulimic but I don't do it often and I only do it when I've eaten a lot and I'm very disgusted at myself or when I want to do it as a form of self-harm. Is this bulimia or is it just something else? idk. Anyway, thanks in advance.

Re: Do I have an eating disorder?

Hey,

We are unable to diagnose you since not many of us are professionals and since it is pretty hard to diagnose someone online.

What I will say is that forcing yourself to throw up is, at the very least disordered, while you might not do it all that often it is very common for purging to take a life of it's own and become something a person does quite often. When I first started purging I would maybe do it once in a great while and usually when I felt I had eaten too much. However, within a relatively short period of time I ended up getting to the point where I was purging numerous times a-day and I began purging binges as well as any meal I ended up eating in a day.

You might not, technically, have an eating disorder at this point in time but if you continue purging when you feel you have eaten too much it will likely turn into a full blown eating disorder.

I think the best thing you could do is try and find someone to talk to about the purging and the reasons that you are utilizing it as a coping skill. If you can get help and figure out the reason as to why you are exhibiting these behaviors you might be able to work on finding ways to overcome it.

The best thing you can do is get help now so that it does not get even worse than it is and get to the point where you are purging quite a bit and suffering from the effects that come along with purging.

Best regards!

Re: Do I have an eating disorder?

I'm not sure if it counts as bulimia, or if there's a related word that fits better.

But yea it's a common symptom of an underlying problem, and we want to focus on curing the underlying problem so you don't feel this awful anymore.

I think most people never want to throw up.

I know there have been times when my stomach felt so bad I thought I'd probably feel better if I could just throw up whatever this awful food is I ate that isn't agreeing with me, but I usually just lie there instead and hold it down and suffer.

Anyway best suggestion I can think of off hand is always bring a toothbrush with you and some toothpaste, and brush your teeth afterwards to get the stomach acid off your teeth, especially the backside. I've been told dentists can detect
bulimia because all that stomach acid tends to eat away the backside of the teeth. Actually baking soda may be a good thing to brush with, as that should help neutralize the acid.

But in the long run we'd really like to get you feeling better so this isn't a problem anymore. I've been there which is why I now pass on the hope of recovery to other people. Doctors have a lot of options which may help. Sorry you've been feeling so bad!

Re: Do I have an eating disorder?

Quote:

Originally Posted by del677 (Post 1295446)

Actually, you don't want to brush your teeth immediately after purging. It causes enamel erosion which could lead to your teeth being damaged quicker than if you had not brushed them. The best thing to do is either use mouth wash or use baking soda mixed in water and then just swish it around a bit. When you do brush your teeth you'd also want to brush with toothpaste that contains fluoride.

Re: Do I have an eating disorder?

Quote:

Originally Posted by ~Abibliophobe~ (Post 1295483)

Thank you for that info. I did not know that. I like the baking soda rinse idea.

Re: Do I have an eating disorder?

I'm definitely not a professional, so I can't say whether you have an eating disorder or not, but it definitely sounds like you could have symptoms of an eating disorder. Even if you don't have a full-blown ED, the fact that you are questioning it at all probably means that you would benefit from seeing someone about it. Have you thought about making an appointment with your GP or a therapist? Just talking it through can honestly help so much and make it all feel less overwhelming to deal with, and if you haven't developed an ED yet, you may be able to tackle this early while it is relatively easier to treat! :hug: