I have posted before on other threads, but I thought I would post here just to see if there is anyone else in a similar situation to me.
My son is 22, and has had an ED (bulimia nervosa) for about four years. He has probably had an unhealthy relationship with exercise and eating for much longer than this, but the bulimic behaviours really became regular and problematic about four years ago.
For years he went through a cycle of me phoning the GP (he gave me permission to contact on his behalf), my son taking a telephone call and being referred to one or other mental health service. After a phone assessment, he would then be told he did not meet the criteria for their service, and he would be passed over for an assessment from another service. He also had an assessment from BEAT, but was told his case was too complex for their services.
Now, at last, he has seen someone face to face and had an ECG and blood tests which show he has weakness in his heart muscle, hyperthyroidism and other deficiencies caused by malnutrition (through purging).
He is supposed to see a therapist on a two weekly basis, but he attends very irregularly, usually cancelling appointments because he is struggling with his ED.
My problem is that I feel so alone with this. I had a very similar ED when I was a young person, and it nearly killed me. I spent many years in and out of hospital, and many more years recovering and rebuilding my life.
I know that an hour with a therapist once a fortnight (if he attends) is not enough to help my son, when his behaviours are already damaging his health (not to mention putting his life on hold). Yet my help is not working. ( He eats everything in the house, and even raids the bin if there is no source of food available. )