Hi People, I need some help, you see my cousin and good friend has an eating disorder a form of bullemia. she is getting thinner and thinner and I don't know what to do. Her parents are useless and are partly to blame. What are some ideas on good ways to help her like what things scared you guys or made you think about what your doing to your body?

I want her to beat this but where to start?

One hting that scared me was the damage I was doing to my body, how DANGEROUS it really is.
I had anorexia, not bulimia, but I know a lot about bulimia from studying eating disorders. does she know how dangerous it is, and what can happen to your body, and that soem people cause irreversible damage, to their bones, their heart, etc?
Also she should ask herself if all the stuff that she is getting OUT OF the eating disorder 9there are almost always some advantages too, that's why it is so addcitive, in part), is really worth all the misery that comes along with it?
In any way i would urge her to get professional help!
Let me think more about this... email me if you want to, I cna maybe give some more advice if I know more specifics about her situation...
kathrin
kk_kitkat@hotmail.com

Hey thanx. The problem is that the bullmia is a secondary problem her home life is the real problem you see her parents are always on her back to be better in chool or clean up better (she has to clean the entire house everyday).Her mum wants her to be perfect because her brother has been sooooo much trouble. Things can't get much better until she is out of that house but she is only 17 and I don't think she's ready to live by herself. She is so into drugs as well, whenever she takes them (the heavy ones) she is so desperate to be out of it. She smokes dope everyday and my god she is like a chimney. I can't say much because I have a drug problem as well but I think before I do anything and want a better life than that! Originally posted by Kathrin:
One hting that scared me was the damage I was doing to my body, how DANGEROUS it really is.
I had anorexia, not bulimia, but I know a lot about bulimia from studying eating disorders. does she know how dangerous it is, and what can happen to your body, and that soem people cause irreversible damage, to their bones, their heart, etc?
Also she should ask herself if all the stuff that she is getting OUT OF the eating disorder 9there are almost always some advantages too, that's why it is so addcitive, in part), is really worth all the misery that comes along with it?
In any way i would urge her to get professional help!
Let me think more about this... email me if you want to, I cna maybe give some more advice if I know more specifics about her situation...
kathrin
kk_kitkat@hotmail.com

Hi Lilmiss Amy,

Well, I'll tell you right now, scaring her will most likely make it worse. She probably realizes what she's doing is not healthy. When a respectable doc told me what could happen, I was like, "Oh really? Well then watch me. Watch me get worse." That's the whole point of an ED. You CAN"T do anything about it. It's up to her. Her way of dealing w/ life is bulimia. My best suggestion is NEVER leave her. When I started to lose weight my friends got jealous, and then annoyed at the attn. I got. Well, they stopped being around me and that made it worse. She needs friends. When she knows she can trust you and depend on you and others, she'll slowly get better. Support is the biggest issue.

Hey Marie, thanx. It's hard always watching what I say. Today her dog died! Things just seem to get worse. Last night her brother went physco at her because she used his last rolling paper. I think your right about the support factor if she can't rely on her immediate family it'll have to be me. But I am presently living across the road from her and on the weekend I am moving furthur away I hope this doesn't cause problems for her!