Friend With Bulimia

To whom it may concern a friend of mine has been eating barely anything and then throwing it up after. This person has not made a big deal about it, and has made it seem like no big deal while simultanously hiding this from their loved ones. They don’t have the best relationship with either of their parents and only their mother is present in their lives. They are suffering from some issues of neglect (from the mother) and gender dysphoria. I am not sure how to help this friend as they don’t really want to reach out to anyone and I don’t see them too often (never outside of school). They also have spoken about killing themselves as a joke, but I am not sure how much of a joke it actually is. This friend usually spaces off for periods of time and they often seem down. Bulimia is only going to worsen their health and I am extremely worried about what is going to happen to them. What should I do?

How To Help Yourself

• First thank you for writing into TeenCentral it takes courage to reach out when we need assistance or even just some advice.
• You had mentioned that your friend has mentioned killing themselves before. I have added the suicide help line . This is a great resource that they can get from you or maybe you can even help them make that call.
  • • • • • • • National Suicide Hotline
                Available 24/7
                Helps individuals in suicidal crisis with support1-800-273-8255
                https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org

                http://www.suicide.org/international-suicide-hotlines.html

• Have you let someone know what is going on? Letting an adult know what is happening is very important in times like this. This can be any type of trusted adult such as a teacher, counselor, coach, or religious person. If you feel as though you can take to a parent, I would strong urge you to do so even if this is their parent.

Consider This 

• Take time to research some of the resources that we have available at this time. One of which is actually on eating disorders. This might be some information that you could even provide your friend to give some assistance or guidance on how important it is to get some help.
• We have some great resources on gender as well in our LGBTQ learn section. I have linked it here for you. Some questions that you might have in regard to your friend’s gender dysphoria could be answered this way, or even just giving some information to them to look at. .
• Lastly, it sounds like you are being a good friend. Make sure in this you are also looking out for yourself and your emotions. Again, talking to an adult can really help with these situations as they can provide guidance and resources on how to help your friend.  Keep up the good work.