Diagnosis

[Sockknitterg]

Hello. Do services ever officially ‘diagnose’ eating disorders? My daughter is autistic, and exhibiting all signs of AN. She is under the ED team here, but she is struggling with not having anything on a piece of paper stating that is what she has. Can anyone please relate or advise?
Thank you.

Yes they do. Have you had any reports from the ED team?
How long has she been under their care? Does she meet the criteria?

@CharlotteBog - I’ve since heard that services here are reticent to diagnose autistic young people.

Could it be ARFID?

Hello, her psychiatrist diagnosed disordered eating (source of problems being anxiety not an ED), but at a hospital appointment last week (paeds), they actually listened to her (and me!), and she’s been referred to the Eating Disorders team at the hospital under an ED consultant. Has all the symptoms of AN, and if CAMHS had helped her sooner this wouldn’t have happened.

One recent incident was the fact that she couldn’t finish one of her mock exams last week over distress that her fingers looked fat. Losing weight, cold, at 10th centile for age and height.

Why did no one listen when she was first having problems? The psychiatrist didn't ask her any questions that would have told him right away that she was anorexic.

Unfortunately ED diagnoses my GPs are normally linked to BMI rather than symptoms that are being exhibited my suffers. It’s a really backward way of thinking and promote the idea that sufferers ‘aren’t sick enough’ and this triggers a destruction downward spiral.