Anorexia & my beautiful daughter

If you are in Sydney, I would strongly recommend Northside Clinic. www.northsidegroup.com.au/nsc/

My niece went there a few years ago with similar problems and they were fantastic. Really understanding, helpful for parents and kids, not patronizing in the slightest and very sensitive.

It is tricky broaching the subject of getting help with them, I know my sister really had a battle, but she eventually got my niece to go and now she's doing really well, is studying at uni and now seems to be able to cope with her 'food issues.'

I highly recommend the clinic and I would recommend talking to your daughter - in all likelihood, she knows already and is just waiting for someone else to notice too.

First of all, I am so sorry to hear this about your daughter. Hopefully your speculations aren't true. But I would also suggest taking your daughter to see a professional. It would be wise to see if she has any vitamin deficiencies as well. Sometime doctors will suggest taking vitamin supplements or colloids to get your body back in better health. You need to get to the bottom of this situation immediately. If she is in fact anorexic, you can't waste any time seeking help.

My beautiful son has had anorexia for 5 years now. He has been hospitalised twice, and is again critically underweight. Because he didn't eat enough his skeleton did not develop normally, and his rib cage presses on his heart. He has osteoporosis, and arms like an 8 year old. It hurts me to see him without a shirt.
I would urge you, for your daughters sake, to get her assessed. For her furture health. There are anorexic specific clinics, with good programs, and the outcomes are better for girls than they are for the boys. You may not get her to admit 'I have anorexia' but she may be able to say 'I am withholding from eating, or, 'I am controlling what I eat because it makes me feel more in control'. The literature on anorexia tells us that people who restrict food (starve themselves), do so because it makes them feel better, in control, and that there brains release larger ammounts of serotin when they restrict. So they actually do feel better, but at a huge cost. It is a complex and insidious illness, and I would encourage you to seek helps asap. You can phone the Wesley Hospital at Ashfield, who have an Eating Disorder (ED) ward, for help and advice.
I wish your daughter all good things. I hope she is well soon.