Eating disorder TW

[Pearl97]

Is anyone’s child under an eating disorder team for being underweight, but they say they don’t have an eating disorder?

if you change the topic from AIBU to eating disorders you’ll find those with experience

a number of criteria need to be met for an ED diagnosis (and there are different sub types too). Really difficult to comment without context. can you explain what the thinking behind is?

They thought my son had an eating disorder as his weight is so low. He doesn’t but he is now under their care in hospital and can’t go home until he is 80 percent weight to height. Does anyone have an experience of this?

So they don’t think he has an eating disorder, but are still worried about his weight?
Have other causes for low weight (physical health causes) been ruled out?
Do you disagree with them?

They are investigating physical health. Yes, I don’t think he has one as he has been physically poorly recently, but we are still under their control. I just wondered if anyone knew if it could be more GP led?

Is he dangerously underweight? They must have concerns if he's under specialist care

Under their control?
As in detained under the Mental
Health Act??
if so that would be very serious and definitely an ED
It is common for people with an ED to deny it and you can obviously get poorly as a consequence of restricting food intake to dangerous levels rather than an illness being the cause.

if he is not detained then he/ you have a right to take him home (even if he is detained there is a right of appeal) but you should consider if that’s in his best interests. What makes you think this could be managed by the GP when community treatment has not been successful so far?

It can definitely happen that people are believed to have an eating disorder when they actually have a physical condition causing their problems. I went to the doctor as a teenager with physical symptoms and having lost weight, doctors assumed I had an eating disorder and wouldn't believe me that it wasn't that, but it eventually turned out to be an autoimmune condition. I'm sorry your son is so unwell OP it must be so worrying. Hope they manage to find out what's going on soon 💐

It's very hard, if he doesn't put on weight, they'll further investigate for another medical issue.
If he puts on weight, he'll be released, monitored for a short time.
Best of luck. 🥰

I have a daughter's whose been coping with an eating disorder - bulimia - for 7 years now. She just started an intensive treatment programme at a clinic in London. I've written a few substack posts about the experience if you want to hear our journey so far. https://florencefields.substack.com/p/740am-the-day-treatment-begins

@PurgetheSilence thank you so much. You write with such passion and love. I will keep reading xx

If his weight is so low that he’s in hospital and he genuinely doesn’t have an eating disorder they should be urgently exploring other options like thyroid disorders, metabolic disorders etc.
deep down though - is he careful with what he eats, exercises etc and could reasonably been hiding from you? Or does he generally have a healthy attitude to food and eating?

Thank you @Pearl97 . This isn't an easy journey!

My goodness you have been through a lot. I am looking forward to updates.