12yo dd possible eating disorder

[MaverickSnoopy]

I've noticed for the last 10 days or so that she's eating half of dinner and drinking a lot of water alongside and then saying she's full. Even her favourite food won't tempt her.

Yesterday school sent her home ill as she was feeling sick, had a bad headache and was feeling dizzy. They thought she was ill. They suggested she eat something (she'd also just done PE) but she refused saying she felt too sick to eat. On collection, she looked grey, and she was quite cold.

Put her to bed and she slept for 30 mins and then asked for something to eat. She had a bit and had warmed up somewhat, headache and dizziness gone.

She told me last night that she's been throwing her lunch away at school. She says that she feels she eats too much and so decides that the signals from her body telling her she is hungry must be wrong. She says she doesn't know how to change as she's used to only eating a bit of food now. She says it's been about 2 weeks.

I'm going to email school on Monday and contact the GP. But what's the best thing to do over the weekend? I feel blind with no experience.

Backstory. She's on waiting list for cahms but has another year wait (been waiting a year). She's struggling with bereavement, a lot of changes and has had moments of self harm and suicidal thoughts. She has extreme anxiety, probably adhd and major issues with social situations. Shows traits of being autistic (takes everything very literally and misunderstands a lot) but I don't think is necessarily autistic.

Sorry to hear this OP. I don’t have any advice (other than take her to the GP) but I do know that autism and anorexia are closely linked (current thinking is that anorexia is one presentation of autism in girls).

Hadley Freeman’s book ‘Good Girls’ is a good read, would recommend.

I hope things improve for your DD in time.

We have just had this. The swifter you act; the better the outcome. Eva Musbys book on anorexia is where you start. GP asap to obtain some kind of counselling

She might not be ASD @MaverickSnoopy but from what you've said about misunderstandings and anxiety I think it's worth bringing it up with the HCPs and asking for an assessment for that also. Have you read much on how ASD can present in girls?

No I haven't. I did have a chat with camhs the other day to update them and we had a very in depth conversation. She said they would be assessing her because she does sound neurodiverse.

I spoke with the GP earlier in the week and he says to come back to him if she loses 10% of her body weight as that's the guidance. No concerns about helping children not to loose that 10% in the first place. Very sad.

However camhs have given me some good resources and things to think about. She's been waiting since the start of the year to see them and is half way through the list....

It might not be feasible, but if you can afford private therapy do it. My daughter had a lot of worries and intrusive thoughts leading to obsessions with being a vegetarian. Nothing she touched could have animal product in it and she definitely had- magical thinking, rigid thought patterns, perfectionism, and intrusive thoughts. These all lead to MH issues. It took about 2 years of therapy but she is much better now and I hope has gained some skills to challenge unhelpful thoughts which will defo Come back in moments of stress.