TeenHelp - Explaining an eating disorder to a loved one

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Explaining an eating disorder to a loved one

My mum keeps asking what's wrong with me recently I don't cry very often because I'm one of those people who bottle it up inside.

I feel like I should explain it to my mum and what I've had to go through but I just don't know how she knows I've been seriously under weight before but I don't think she knows the seriousness of my illness.
I'm using my smartphone so sorry for any confusion in wording.

Re: Explaining an eating disorder to a loved one

Telling family and friends can be a good thing but it can also cause harm especially if they don't turn out to be all that supportive or understanding. When I got treatment for my ED my dad did not understand and he didn't think I needed to be getting treatment. He still doesn't fully understand and his lack of understanding and support did have a negative impact.

If you do decide to talk to her about it, I would suggest printing out some general information about Eating Disorders and it might be beneficial to let her talk to your doctor to answer any questions. If I could do it all over again, I think I would have taken my dad to one of my therapy appointments and let the therapist and him talk (with me in the room). This might have allowed him to get certain questions answered and to have a better understanding of my struggles.

Best of luck.