Bit concerned about this. Cahms?

[HecateTrivia]

hi guys. Bit of an odd one here. I asked for referral to dietician for my eldest as he refuses to eat healthily and is in his own words "obsessed with junk". I thought that a healthy eating plan issued by someone official might be seen by him as a rule/law to be followed and I might then get his cooperation.

However, i had a phone call from the dietician today and she asked me loads of questions and then suggested cahms involvement that's a bit odd, isn't it?

i can't help but feel judged in some way, or criticised. Why would cahms be appropriate? What do they do?

Could you contact her and ask her why she has suggested CAMHS?
Try not to worry too much though.

She suggested it during our conversation, something about giving him someone to talk to.

I'm concerned they're now going to make a huge big thing out of it and I'm starting to wish I'd never asked for any input. I should have known better really. You're better off on your own, under the radar.

It does seem a bit of a jump if she hasn't actually tried any strategies with him yet to help him with his diet. Has she actually met him?

Don't worry though - they can't force you into anything that you don't want to do.

CAMHS do have eating disorders in their remit. Maybe this is where she was coming from?

Just to be clear, eating disorders don't include full blown anorexia or bulima or any of the headline grabbing EDs. Even DS1's regular food refusal is classed as an ED, though in his case it's not severe enough to warrant treatment in isolation (it's usually a stress/anxiety response)

don't ONLY include

...and if CAMHS don't think there's an issue they won't see him.

Nope. She hasn't met him. She just got a referral letter and called me to talk about it.

He did have a problem with food a few years ago. He became obsessed with the calories in food and refused to eat. He'd interrogate me constantly and refuse anything he thought had calories in it. I used to have to lie

He became skeletal. That's why I have asked for help. He is now over it but gone too far the other way and become obsessed with eating all the time. He is putting on weight at an alarming rate and I am trying to stop him eating but at the same time not - because last time I did - he stopped eating!

but this is his autism, and I'm not sure that counselling will help with that!

Try not to panic, it sounds like it could be as Ouryve suggested re:eating issues, I imagine that the dietician doesn't see her role as behavioural, but more as giving information about healthy eating, and that as you are clearly aware of what he should be eating, she feels outside her remit? I completely understand why you think your lad might take a dietician more seriously than you, as my lad is similar re:medical/dental issues, but she probably wouldn't understand asd traits enough to get that.

Perhaps as ouryve says she is viewing this from an eating disorder POV and she may feel that CAMHS have more knowledge and experience - also she may feel our of her depth due to his autism?

xpost with lightpassenger!

ok yes, that all makes sense. Thanks everyone.

Dietician referred ds to CAMHS due to his eating (the referral was refused, but he did refer) as it was out of his 'remit'

Dietician deals with advising about nutrition and any physical causes. Dietician did advise us about nutrition, did blood tests etc, etc. I knew what ds should be eating, so advise wasnt much good. Blood tests showed he was severely anaemic.

CAMHS deals with psychological/behavioural reasons. Ds restricts his food intake, due to anxiety.