Could my sister have an eating disorder?

[CrimsonLines]

I am very worried about my younger sister (Sister A). My family thinks she is anorexic. We found about ten school lunches not even touched in the garbage all rotten. We also noticed she is lossing weight. We keep finding rotten food hidden around the place. My mother is very worried but she does not know what to do. We contacted our family doctor and the doctor is keeping an eye on my sister's weight. My sister is always exercising and making excuses so she does not have to eat. When we confront her she denies everything. She lies to the doctor and she is very sneaky. Could she indeed have an eating disorder?

[xAx]

She could have ,i am a recovering anorexic and she is displaying everything i did ,if she is ,the best thing to do is not panic and crowed her ,she will come to you and tell people in her own time ,it took me two years before i told anyone. When i did ,people treated me so differently ,always checking i was eating ,it was a nightmare ,the wrong way to be around someone who has issues with food ,It will be okay ,i was very underweight ,it wasn't a easy ride for me or my family ,i wish you all the best x

[survivor16]

She very well could, but I dont think we are in the position to really say. I would ask your mom if she has considered letting your sister talk to a counselor? I'm sure your sister wouldn't want you guys to find out, but this is a big deal.
Maybe your mom can stress to her the importance of meals and healthy amounts of exercise? Maybe that's the first step.
I hope all goes well, I'm very sorry your family is dealing with all this confusion. I'm sure it is causing a ton of mixed feelings!
You want to look out for your sister, but you also want to make sure she feels safe around you, be supportive but try to encourage her to get the help she needs.

[Dr.Bobby]

The answer is that yes, something seems to be going on there, if it rises to the level of "Anorexia' is unclear. The way you tell isn't just by asking (most deny it), but more importantly, by her behavior. And with ED's, it an easy thing to monitor: She either gains weight, stays the same, or loses. The task here is not to just "Watch it", if it's there it will be very apparent very shortly...but to have a plan to address the findings.

What I typically do is meet with everyone and explain to the kid what the concerns are, and then establish a baseline weight she needs to be (usually, not a further loss), and if a certain time period, say, two weeks, if that changes, it means she has a problem which needs to be more directly addressed.

The pediatrician would do well to set you guys up with a professional with some experience assessing and treating these matters.

[paulaford]

Probably yes. Talk to her and take her to the doctor's.

[Kindred]

Hi there,

I can't diagnose your sister with anything, but I would say if her eating habits are worrying you and your family, make an appointment to see a doctor as soon as possible. From what you describe, she is showing a lot of suspicious signs. Whether this is full blown anorexia, a doctor will only be able to tell from an examination. However, eating disorders are serious and only get worse without treatment, often very quickly too.

The most important thing is that you realize this isn't actually your sisters fault. It might seem like she's doing this on purpose for whatever reason, but she isn't. No one "wants" an eating disorder. Imagine the eating disorder as something that has "taken over" your sister's thoughts and feelings. You and your family need help to get rid of this monster before it does any more damage.

Your sister needs you. Let her know how much you love her, and that you're always there for her, no matter what. I'm always here if you need someone to talk to, an ED can be very difficult for the whole family, so don't feel guilty or hopeless for wanting help yourself.


-Laura

[Silvia]

It looks like she might have a problem with this, but neither confronting her nor just sitting there and watching her do this is advisable.
If u have a good relationship with her, try to approach her as an equal, not as her big sister, and gain her trust, she will never recognise it to u or anyone if she doesn't trust that person. And also remember that maybe she's not at the point of recognising having a problem...