teen who eats 13,000 calories a day!

[Fandango 1,439]

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.

Ok, so assuming everything you said above is true, then it seems perfectly reasonable to say that the girl is in harm in her mother's care, since she herself is irrational and incapable of thinking rationally.

Or the other side of the coin is to do nothing and let this girl eat herself to death.

[Ban Hammer 13,352]

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.

and move the fridge upstairs so she'll get some exercise going to it

btw, i thought your custom title said "mods make me feel great"

[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.

Ok, so assuming everything you said above is true, then it seems perfectly reasonable to say that the girl is in harm in her mother's care, since she herself is irrational and incapable of thinking rationally.

Or the other side of the coin is to do nothing and let this girl eat herself to death.

Or perhaps they would benefit from some form of group therapy..

[Fandango 1,439]

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.

Ok, so assuming everything you said above is true, then it seems perfectly reasonable to say that the girl is in harm in her mother's care, since she herself is irrational and incapable of thinking rationally.

Or the other side of the coin is to do nothing and let this girl eat herself to death.

Or perhaps they would benefit from some form of group therapy..

If they were both adults, then yes.

If one is in the other's care, then we shouldn't be so willy nilly since we're talking about the welfare of a child. Would you assert the same stance if they were both doing drugs together?

If we're going to say the addiction aspect is similar, then it's just as dangerous. This girl is almost 500 pounds and can barely walk. Clearly some drastic steps need to be taken since she got this way in her mother's care.

[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.

Ok, so assuming everything you said above is true, then it seems perfectly reasonable to say that the girl is in harm in her mother's care, since she herself is irrational and incapable of thinking rationally.

Or the other side of the coin is to do nothing and let this girl eat herself to death.

Or perhaps they would benefit from some form of group therapy..

If they were both adults, then yes.

If one is in the other's care, then we shouldn't be so willy nilly since we're talking about the welfare of a child. Would you assert the same stance if they were both doing drugs together?

If we're going to say the addiction aspect is similar, then it's just as dangerous. This girl is almost 500 pounds and can barely walk. Clearly some drastic steps need to be taken since she got this way in her mother's care.

I don't know the law very well as it pertains to these situations - but I don't think that taking child out of parental care for something like this is as straightforward as it might be if there were physical or sexual abuse going on. I think its usually the last resort.

As far as drastic action goes - isn't that what the article is about? The girl is going to get help.

[Fandango 1,439]

The point is, the girl should have gotten help long before this. Not been dependent on (possibly) some facility's charitable contribution to be magnanimous.

And this is physical abuse, plain as day.

Either this is a simple problem as shutting your mouth that can be sorted in a non emergent manner, or it's a life threatening addiction that has been enabled by her own mother, therefore requiring removal of the child for her best interests. It can't be both.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

The point is, the girl should have gotten help long before this. Not been dependent on (possibly) some facility's charitable contribution to be magnanimous.

And this is physical abuse, plain as day.

Either this is a simple problem as shutting your mouth that can be sorted in a non emergent manner, or it's a life threatening addiction that has been enabled by her own mother, therefore requiring removal of the child for her best interests. It can't be both.

Except of course what you want to see happen is not what necessarily does happen under the law. I don't think this sort of problem is viewed (in the same way as physical or sexual abuse) as presenting a threat to the wellbeing of the child to justify their removal. I don't imagine its particularly easy to prove "abuse" in a case of this type.

Sure - she should have got help a long time ago - but she didn't. Many people with OCD conditions need to get help long before their disorder lands them in hospital or the tabloid news. That they don't.... well - there can be any number of reasons for this.

[Amby 490]

She won't lose the weight until she gets to a point where she realizes she is going to die and then she might not even do it then. Kinda like an addict not getting clean until something happens that makes them realize how bad it is.

[samantha_lou 0]

I think its dreadful that someone is buying her all this food and giving her access to it! She should come live with me for a few months - she'd not get more than 1000 calories a day because all that RUBBISH and junk food wouldn't be in the house to be consumed in the first place!!

[britty 1]

This girl can't seem to stop the process of eating herself to death. Like any addition, it takes self control and determination to kick a habit. We have all suffered loss, grief, unhappiness at one time or another but we have to pick ourselves up and carry on. As regards eating, I would love to be able to eat a whole chocolate cake every day but I don't because its unhealthy and would lead to weight gain. People need to take more responsibility for themselves instead of relying on others for help. This girl is acutely aware no doubt that she is mordbidly obese. She knows she will die if she carries on eating to the extent that she currently is, but even this does not stop her from consuming thousands of calories per day. This is something that can be controlled and this girl needs to "woman" up and make an effort.

[Marilyn. 340]

why do people seem to have more understanding of bulimics or anorexics?? but when someone is overweight they are called lazy etc... oh they should just stop eating so much etc..

Edited August 4, 2008 by *Marilyn*

[britty 1]

I don't really understand any addiction. I smoked for years because I really enjoyed it. When I finally had to admit that the cigs would eventually do me harm, I quit cold turkey. Yes it was hard and yes I still long for a cigarette but I value my health more. If you can't be bothered to make an attempt to curb your addiction, whatever that may be, then in my opinion you are lazy.

[Fandango 1,439]

I britty...

[Peikko 1,575]

Addiction isn't that simple. You weren't addicted to cigarettes if you gave them up that easily, not in the sense that these extreme examples illustrate in terms of compulsive addictive behaviour. This girl probably will die before she's thirty and that will be that. Another lazy fat person off the planet eh?

[S and S 12]

Natural selection, survival of the fittest, whatever you want to call it. If its one of my family members or close friends then I try to help (regardless of what their problem or addiction is). If its a stranger, I don't want to waste my time and resources on you. I would rather send that money to children with cancer who have no choice. I am not sympathetic to anerexic or bolimic or cutters or drugies. I don't think obesity is somehow less of an addiction than any of the others. The thing is that more and more people are doing this to themselves while other people starve around the world. Maybe we should send the obese people there for awhile, maybe then they will learn how to eat less food. Same with the drug addicts. There are children in this world suffering in war zones, watching their family and friends die, not getting enough food, missing school because it is too dangerous, etc. I think I will put my sympathy with their mental anguish before someone who has had one or two things tramatic in their life. People need to be tought what they should be thankful for. No matter how bad it is, you can always find someone who has it worse. Maybe (if it is related to depression or psyhcological stress) we need to point out how good they have it.