teen who eats 13,000 calories a day!

[Savanphil 3]

[Peikko 1,575]

Psychological treatment isn't as well treated on the national health as it should be sadly. Regardless, it's absolutely the case that overeating is considered a condition that can be self treated, where other compulsions are not which is totally ridiculous. Overeating to the point of morbid obesity is an illness that needs treatment, not scorn.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

I had several very close family members deaths when I was a child....so yes, I sadly know heart wrenching tragedy. I also am still grieving my beloved grandmother who was like a mother to me...she's been gone 10 years last month and not a day goes by that I don't ache in my heart from her absence.

I don't use that as an excuse to balloon to 400+ pounds...

I know my comment seemed heartless, but I am oh so sick of people giving excuses as if that justifies the behavior. Traumas CAN last years...but last I checked, you can reach out for psychological help in the UK for free...not eat yourself into an early grave all the while saying 'oh but this is cos my dad died 10 years ago'

I don't think anyone is under any illusions that everyone deals with loss and trauma different ways. We are talking about different psychologies after all.

Also I don't think its all that uncommon for people with eating or other obsessive-compulsive disorders to attribute their problems to external causes - particularly if they're children or teenagers (i.e. not fully mature) which I believe is the biggest demographic for eating disorders. Its not really surprising IMO - neither is the fact that the key to getting beyond these disorders is for the person to realise that they're the only person who can do it, and you can't rely on others as a substitute for poor self-esteem. Unfortunately it often requires professional help to make that break-through.

You can indeed get free mental healthcare via the NHS but its very limited in scope.

Edited August 3, 2008 by Number 6

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

at 15 and under (let's face it, she didn't get this way overnight)...her mother had a DUTY to get her the help she needed.

IF it's an addiction like cocaine, etc...then saying 'oh I'm a crack addict because my dad died 10 years ago' doesn't make it any better...

I might PM Almaty to confirm this - but I have heard of these types of conditions being "transferred". If that's true and the mother does indeed have the same disorder (as opposed to being lazy or whatever) then she probably isn't going to be much help.

[Captain Ewok 1,901]

I know my comment seemed heartless, but I am oh so sick of people giving excuses as if that justifies the behavior. Traumas CAN last years...but last I checked, you can reach out for psychological help in the UK for free...not eat yourself into an early grave all the while saying 'oh but this is cos my dad died 10 years ago'

Oh, shut up. Number one: you can't always get psych help in the UK "for free." It goes to the people who need it the most, a la socialized healthcare, and if they decide that she does not need it the most, then she won't get help. This is especially true of eating disorder treatment.

Sometimes, the help that you get doesn't work. Psychiatric treatment is not a "one size fits all" agenda. "Getting help" does not immediately equal getting better. Because it's not as simple as a shot or a pill that you have to take.

Not all people respond to trauma in the same manner. On the flip side, maybe you're a heartless douchebag for not responding traumatically to your grandmother's death.

Hannah please take care to show the same respect to all members that they hopefully will show you in return. Thank you.

[KarenCee 3]

Damn She needs a crane to be lifted out her house then the crane might tilt. I do not feel sorry for these type of people.

Eric, this is exactly the type of thing that gets so many people riled up at you. Why can't you post something NICE????

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Damn She needs a crane to be lifted out her house then the crane might tilt. I do not feel sorry for these type of people.

Eric, this is exactly the type of thing that gets so many people riled up at you. Why can't you post something NICE????

Not to make light of Eric's comment - but it has happened before where morbidly obese people have been too large for the ambulance crew to move and they've had to call in the fire-brigade.

There was one story in London a few years ago where a 600lb man had a heart attack in his hallway and basically got wedged between the walls (he could only walk down his hall way sideways). They had to knock down one of the walls and lift him through the hole with a crane.

[eric&gen 0]

Damn She needs a crane to be lifted out her house then the crane might tilt. I do not feel sorry for these type of people.

Eric, this is exactly the type of thing that gets so many people riled up at you. Why can't you post something NICE????

Fat people are awesome. Is that better???!!!!

[Fandango 1,440]

If my daughter was eating to the point of killing herself, I would sell my a$$ on the corner in order to get her the help she needs if I didn't have the money.

Nowhere did I say this girl doesn't need mental help....but we're sat here speculating that it's all because there's not free adequate mental health care, which isn't even the point.

Yes, the girl needs help. Yes, she's battling an addiction. Yes, the mother is guilty of child neglect at the very least. Back to this money issue...where's all this food being bought from? If the girl really can't walk far, WHO IS BRINGING THE FOOD TO HER?

[one...two...tree 2,762]

If my daughter was eating to the point of killing herself, I would sell my a$ on the corner in order to get her the help she needs if I didn't have the money.

Nowhere did I say this girl doesn't need mental help....but we're sat here speculating that it's all because there's not free adequate mental health care, which isn't even the point.

Yes, the girl needs help. Yes, she's battling an addiction. Yes, the mother is guilty of child neglect at the very least. Back to this money issue...where's all this food being bought from? If the girl really can't walk far, WHO IS BRINGING THE FOOD TO HER?

I agree with Lisa, although I wouldn't sell myself on the corner. What's painfully obvious is that this girl didn't get to eating all that food on her own. Her condition requires therapy for both her and the mom....and I'd even go far and say that if the mother wasn't able to comply, remove the child from the home.

Edited August 3, 2008 by Jabberwocky

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

I'm off to have a delicious egg-beaters omelet.

[Nagishkaw 510]

Bon Appetite !

[S and S 12]

I think it does have a lot to do with support and the environment she lives in. My father is an alchoholic mostly caused from my mother's death nearly 20 years ago. Yet when he stays with me, I don't let him drink and if he does, I kick him out. He learns and now he hasn't drank for a long time since he started staying with me again. Sometimes you have to be tough on people, but still love them and support them. My brother is a mess too and has far more problems I don't even want to get started on. The rare times he stayed with me he was forced to stay away from those bad things. He voluntarily leaves, but if my father had enforced my rules on him when he was still young, it wouldn't be such a problem now. Yet, my father was too busy battling his own addiction to alchohol. I'm not one to have sympathy because the things they complain about as to why the do all the bad things they do are things I faced at the same time. Only difference being I used the bad things in my life to push me to be better, not worse. Some people just need a hard nugging in the right direction and more constant support.

[eric&gen 0]

Do the right thing put a security lock on the fridge cut back on the grocery spend to a bare minimum and lock the cabinets make a one meal a day diet healthy diet.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

You do need a supportive environment to get over things like this - but if the girl's only role model and authority figure is doing the same thing herself and doesn't restrict her eating, then its not really going to work. I'm not sure if the solution would be to take the girl into care - that might actually make the problem worse.

Mental illness has always been stigmatised. Most people simply don't have the patience to deal with "mad" people and even friends and relatives get frustrated with it. Its hard to understand irrational behaviour and the expectation often seems to be "why can't they just pull their socks up". In short - you can't expect irrational people to behave rationally.