I have just realized (duh mom!) that my just-turned 13 year old daughter has lost almost 10% of her previously thin body weight. We just moved from another state and she was horribly upset by the move (she had just fallen "in love" and that made it worse), in fact she was hysterical for a few days. Got her to see a therapist (once) and she seemed to get better. Somehow I noticed she was getting thinner (she is 5'4" and weighed 106 lbs, now she is 97 lbs), but when friends came to visit they noticed. She has been throwing her lunches away and has little appetite. Now I know from my adolescence that whenever I got very upset I did lose my appetite, and in fact, when I was 16 I got down to 95 lbs (at 5'5"). Never saw a therapist and recovered just fine. Anyway I don't know what to believe. My friend who is visiting says her daughter says Ariel has been talking about being to fat for about 9 months, but to me she always said she liked her weight. As recently as 3-6 months ago she was still eating a lot and showing no signs of weight loss or purging. My friend (who does tend to be a know it all) says she'll have to go into the hospital soon. But her bones don't stick out and she still gets a period. I am wondering if there is a difference between actual anorexia and weight loss due to being miserable and depressed. I am not in denial, just want to know how much to panic right now!! Any ideas? I did get a recommendation to a therapist. And she is eating much better now, I got her up to 1500 calories yesterday(and no, she's not purging--I keep her with me after meals!!) Any input would be welcome. ↓
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