I need to talk to my GP about disordered eating but I don't know how.

[CrickityCrickets]

Can anyone help? I know I need to discuss my disordered eating. I don't want to but I feel it has got out of hand. I don't know what to do, please help.

I’m sorry OP to be ignorant but I don’t know what that even is.

Hope you are ok x

OP, I have a lot of experience with this. I'm 41 now and have been going through it for many many years.

In my experience GPs tend to be catastrophically inept at dealing with it. Especially in older women.

If you would like to chat please feel free to DM me, but I would say of course you need to see a medical professional but please don't be a wallflower about it and don't be 'fobbed' off.

Well there is much more awareness than there used to be.

BEAT is a good resource for eating disorders, so have a look on that, note down the symptoms you have and their description of it, so you can explain that you have disordered eating and what type and where you the info from. If they haven’t heard of BEAT it’s the uk’s biggest eating disorder charity and you can follow up with an email link.

Once you’ve told them, what outcome do you want?

I’m 61. I’ve binge ate most of my life triggered by dieting as a young adult.

I gave up sugar 5 months ago and stated eating properly. No hunger spikes or desire to binge. After 40 years of it.

I really don't know what I want.
The trigger for this has been a medical thing and I think I want the medical thing to be looked at in more depth as it's causing me such anxiety/stress.

@ArseInTheCoOpWindow yeah I don't eat much sugar. It's a restrictive problem for me really.

It sounds like some therapy might be useful? Because you really want someone with experience of your issue to be able to talk to your GP about whether (for example) anxiety medication might be helpful for you while you recover, as well as giving you a recovery programme and a space to talk about it.

Could you afford to pay for this? It will be a lot quicker.

If not I would go in with some research on what the NHS can provide, and I’d also contact charities eg BEAT about what is available online and at low cost.

Hi

I'm sorry to hear you've struggled with disordered eating for a long time, and great that you want some support.

I'm a therapist, and I would agree that your GP may not be the most helpful place to go first of all, though I understand you may want to discuss with them due to the health issues you're experiencing.

There are free NHS talking therapies in all areas of the U.K. but the waitlist is usually long. I would also recommend seeking private psychotherapy with someone who specialises in disordered eating, if that option is available to you financially.

If you can't afford it, I would think very strategically about your disordered eating - when did it start, is there anything that triggers it or makes it worse, is there anything that helps? Your answers to these questions might help you see a small way to change your habits.

Good luck and well done for reaching out. I hope you get the help you need

@materialgirl23 thank you. I have had counselling but not specifically regarding the eating issues. So maybe that would be a good idea.

The questions you pose about triggers are helpful. It's all tied up with a medical issue which is unresolved at the moment, so perhaps I need to talk to the GP explicitly about the links between these two things.

@namechangeGOT I have PMed you. Thank you 😊

I disagree with the advice not to see a GP. There are physical issues that may need to be explored, e.g blood tests and an ECG depending on your weight and eating pattern. I wonder if writing it an e consult first would be easier? All the best OP.