Friend's ds is 12, but I thought I may get more experienced traffic in here.
Basically someone at school told him he was fat (before summer holidays) and since then he has really cut his eating. He is eating, but weighs food, is obsessed by calories and ate no biscuits, sweets, ice-cream throughout holidays. He has lost a lot of weight (he was fairly chubby though definitely not fat).
I think he has some self esteem issues. Has said he is fat and ugly which is why he is doing this. His 2 older siblings are really academic and he is not (parents not at all pushy in this area though). He's also really started pushing himself on homework for several hours with no breaks, which is not him at all. Really loving family, so it's really difficult to know what else he needs .
Understandably friend is really worried and upset. Do you think she should go to the doctors? Or could this make it worse in terms of starting to label him as having an eating disorder etc. Should it be 'nipped in the bud' or dealt with gently and hope it will pass.
Anyone with experience of this? Has it passed or do you wish you'd dealt with it sooner?