Daughter struggling w/anorexia. Prayers/advice requested.

[Christie insb]

My daughter has been undereating, this time for over a year. We are having her evaluated next week for an intensive outpatient program. Her weight may be just above the threshold for being dangerously underweight but she screams at me if she thinks I added more fat to her eggs than she planned. She counts calories, always complaining about aches and pains and not being able to sleep. Prayers, wisdom, whatever are welcome. She is # years old

 

[derpytia]

I'm definitely praying for you. One of my best friends had an eating disorder our last year of high school and she didn't get help for it until after she felt too sick to enjoy sober grad night and we begged her to get help. It took her two years to finally get back to the happy person she used to be and it was a long, hard fight. But she got through it and now she's living a healthy and happy life.

I pray that God will give you and, most of all, your daughter the strength and comfort you need at this time.

 

[Christie insb]

Thank you so much.

 

[dreadnought]

My daughter has been undereating, this time for over a year. We are having her evaluated next week for an intensive outpatient program. Her weight may be just above the threshold for being dangerously underweight but she screams at me if she thinks I added more fat to her eggs than she planned. She counts calories, always complaining about aches and pains and not being able to sleep. Prayers, wisdom, whatever are welcome. She is 19 years old

My guess is that she needs counseling.

 

[Christie insb]

My guess is that she needs counseling.

Thanks. That's what the intensive outpatient services provide -- counseling and group therapy, dietician consultation, and eating a meal together every weekday. She has seen numerous counselors and in this round she just stops going after awhile. I just pray she gets in. Otherwise, our insurance will not pay for a dietician to help her devise a plan to gain weight safely. Anyway. She has recently become a Christian and I pray that this program can help her eat to get healthy and strengthen her faith.

 

[dreadnought]

Thanks. That's what the intensive outpatient services provide -- counseling and group therapy, dietician consultation, and eating a meal together every weekday. She has seen numerous counselors and in this round she just stops going after awhile. I just pray she gets in. Otherwise, our insurance will not pay for a dietician to help her devise a plan to gain weight safely. Anyway. She has recently become a Christian and I pray that this program can help her eat to get healthy and strengthen her faith.

It is good to hear that she has become a Christian. It is possible she will stubbornly persist with this behavior for a long time. Maybe she could talk to a pastor.

 

[derpytia]

It is good to hear that she has become a Christian. It is possible she will stubbornly persist with this behavior for a long time. Maybe she could talk to a pastor.

Not to be a drag but you don't know the OP's daughter nor do you know the full situation aside from their daughter having an eating disorder. Please don't make these kinds of assumptions or possibilities when you just don't know.

My best friend had an eating disorder and she was and is a Christian born, reborn, and raised.
Most outpatient programs involve counseling and a lot of medical care. But this is an eating disorder; an illness of the mind and body. It WILL take a while to get back on the right track. It's not something you can just combat overnight or over a week and be free of it. In fact, even though my friend is happy and healthy now, she has her days where she struggles with it. It's always there for her but she's made some lifestyle changes and pulls out the proverbial tools in her figurative mental health toolbox to get through those days. Even with that information, each person with an ED is different and recovery is an individual process.

 

[seeking.IAM]

... Maybe she could talk to a pastor?

Anorexia can become a life or death matter. It is well beyond the training and expertise of even the best pastor. Smart pastors don't do mental health treatment; they refer. Smart therapists don't give theological advice; they refer.

 

[dreadnought]

Not to be a drag but you don't know the OP's daughter nor do you know the full situation aside from their daughter having an eating disorder. Please don't make these kinds of assumptions or possibilities when you just don't know.

My best friend had an eating disorder and she was and is a Christian born, reborn, and raised.
Most outpatient programs involve counseling and a lot of medical care. But this is an eating disorder; an illness of the mind and body. It WILL take a while to get back on the right track. It's not something you can just combat overnight or over a week and be free of it. In fact, even though my friend is happy and healthy now, she has her days where she struggles with it. It's always there for her but she's made some lifestyle changes and pulls out the proverbial tools in her figurative mental health toolbox to get through those days. Even with that information, each person with an ED is different and recovery is an individual process.

None of us know her daughter.

 

[dreadnought]

Anorexia can become a life or death matter. It is well beyond the training and expertise of even the best pastor. Smart pastors don't do mental health treatment; they refer. Smart therapists don't give theological advice; they refer.

Jesus wasn't a medical doctor, I don't believe, but he saved lives.