Anorexic aunt? How do I approach her...?!
Question: For the past 10 years or so my aunt has been a hardcore runner (a handful of marathons and many smaller runs each year)...but I doubt she takes in 500 calories a day. My family and I have seen her lose so much weight. She is constantly cold and fatigued- she even has that "anorexic fuzz" all over her body. She has lost some hair and no longer has her period, of course. We know we need to do/say something, but we don't want to say the wrong thing and make her even worse. What can we do??? I hate to think if something bad happened to her and I had never said or done anything. Please help! Especially if you are an LPC, therapist, psych, etc.
Answers: For the past 10 years or so my aunt has been a hardcore runner (a handful of marathons and many smaller runs each year)...but I doubt she takes in 500 calories a day. My family and I have seen her lose so much weight. She is constantly cold and fatigued- she even has that "anorexic fuzz" all over her body. She has lost some hair and no longer has her period, of course. We know we need to do/say something, but we don't want to say the wrong thing and make her even worse. What can we do??? I hate to think if something bad happened to her and I had never said or done anything. Please help! Especially if you are an LPC, therapist, psych, etc.
Hi, im not a doctor or a tittled person to help your aunt but i do belive i went through the same thing if not worst.I use to train at the gym 8-9hrs daily and run small marothons i weighed about 5stone 9 pounds and felt great but what i never realized i looked terrible.I belive the way to leave this dissorder is to first mix with people (people you can trust and know how to enjoy themseves) never tell her about how she looks,she will persicute you and hate you,if you keep telling her she looks thin and shes sick she will wanna be this more.the reason for this is because its her deasease and not yours and she needs to be in conrol on her own,I know it sounds unnormal but its not cause the easiest thing with anorexia is you can allways go back to it.this means she has to do it herself.your asking a very hard cure,because i have been there and still think about going back there,What i wanna truley ask you not to do is dont control her and she will know she has this dissorder and its hers ok if you try to tell her how it should be she will get worst,try to find familys with all sizes and having fun make her busy with somthing pretty like get her a spray tan bussiness.As long as she feels good i think you can over come this.I would also like to add is there an influence around your aunt that wants her like that and if so get him or her out her life as anorexia pple are so vunrable and with someone with the perfect physic watever can actualy destroy her anorexia is a power and media and parent thing they real;y do hate themselves but trueley have an illness.ITS OUR APPEARENCE THAT MATTERS.
The time for worrying is over. Time to slap her around a little. Maybe an intervention.
i agree with the person before me but dont slap her. you and your whole family who ever is close to you, and her freinds should confront her about this and let her know that this is bothering you guys. and if she doesnt stop these habbits you guys tell her this everyone should agree to not harrass her but to bother her about this and complain. my family did this to me about smoking to the point where i just said im done cause im tired of hearing them ***** and complain. if all this dont make threats to not talk to her this may sound harsh but you have to do what ever it takes to get her from contiuning these habbits.
Decide which member of the family would be best to approach her.
TELL her you are conerned
TELL her you are worried about her
ASK her if you can help
Maybe she will let you go with her to the GP or help her arrange counselling, but remember ... at the end of the day she may not want your help. That is her choice.
Anorexia is a mental illness, believe it or not. You can have her admitted to the hospital for treatment, but once she reaches a certain weight, she's allowed to check herself out.
That'll also probably make her pretty upset with you guys.
Talk to her - tell her your concerns. This WILL kill her if something isn't done about it.