My Bosses 17 Year Old Daughter Wont Eat at All

i agree with SH. i would make an emergency appt with her dr and discuss what to do. also get her into therapy and possibly a rehab type facility. this is a dangerous thing her daughter is doing. i hope it all goes well. good luck!

Hi A., the daughter needs a medical evaluation and treatment with a licensed psychotherapist as soon as possible. Anorexia is a very serious illness. They need to seek out treatment with someone who is a specialist. The California psychological association can provide referrals if you are in CA. Good luck. K.

Anorexia, pregnancy, drugs, depression, or botched vegetarianism/veganism.

Those would be the usual suspects in my book. Any of those 5 can cause MAJOR malnutrition. Boy oh boy, am I being good (me= not-so-little-miss-anorexic, anorexia is the first thing that came to mind, but the other four are actually more common).

Major malnutrition's most dangerous side effect is heart attack. And me, the 15 year + competitive athlete, the ex US Marine...had two heart attacks before I was 23. Splendid. Something to be reeeeally proud of. Bleck. Idiocy. At the height of my "carreer" I was like the Calista Flockhart charector from SNL's Jepardy "The pen's too heavy...". Me who used to surf all day, who could do 80 four count pushups, used to hike 50 miles in a weekend... I couldn't lift my own TV to move it to another room. It was only about 20 pounds. Both heart attacks were caused by the oh-so-strenuous task of walking across a room, btw.

I didn't go inpatient, but I had to have years of help. And it's hard when you're this huge fat thing.

Your friend's daughter may be addicted to a drug, or not know that if you go vegetarian, you have to have complete proteins in your diet, may be depressed, or trying to hide a pregnancy, or she may be anorexic. Regardless, if she's not eating she needs help. And it's almost a guarantee that she won't want it. If she won't open up to her parents, they're just going to have to become detectives.

Step 1) Talking
Step 2) Doctor Doctor Doctor
Step 3) Counselor (or Nutritionist if it's just lack of education about dietary choices)

All of these should happen within a 24 hour period. Personally, i would pull her out of school for a few days to get it done now and fast.

Good Luck

I agree with everyone else and wanted to add a couple of things-

I used to treat people with eating disorders. This sounds like it might be anorexia, which is a tough one. People with anorexia often feel more successful and in control the worse their condition. Your boss may want to look at the internet sites her daughter is visiting and then restrict the internet (or co-view) because of the Pro-Ana sites- these are websites of girls with eating disorders basically egging each other on to become MORE anorexic. It's really horrible and they celebrate each other's "successes" of not eating. Also, people with anorexia generally strongly resist therapy even though they need it.

Everyone is right, though, she needs help immediately- anorexia is one of the most fatal psychological disorders because of the complications and because of the risk of suicide.

Your boss may be able to get a referral through her primary care physician or OB, but what her daughter probably needs is hospitalization, at least initially, to stabilize her weight and get her into a position where she can address the underlying issues.

In the mean time make sure your boss gets the support she needs as well- this may get worse before it gets better and her heart will break for her daughter.

Therapy pronto! She needs inpatient, not outpatient. there is a great place in canada that works with these girls and they tame them from all over the world. I can't remember the name but google eating disorders and canada and I'm sure you'll find it :)

Please have your boss take her daughter immediately to a doctor. This sounds like anorexia, an eating disorder, which is very prevalent among high school and college girls. She may need to take her to a treatment center which specializes in eating disorders. This very serious and could be life-threatening.

Hi A. let your boss has she notice that her daughter is loosing to much weight? She needs to make an appointment with her doctor and also maybe get her one with a phsycologits.
D.;)

loving to eat or not has nothing to do with it. It ia a mental illness that has to be over come. she probably feels hungry and wants to eat but there is something in her mind that will not lett her. She definately needs professional help.

I agree with Riley wholeheartedly...there could be many reasons why the girl is not eating or does not want to eat. It is a control issue because she feels powerless over something that is presently going on in her life. She sounds like she definitely has an eating disorder. I would pull her out of school and get inpatient treatment immediately, so that she could have the medical supervision and monitoring as well as nutritional counseling and psychotherapy of some kind. She could suffer health setbacks or even die if she does not get the help she needs. Whatever the reason is that she won't eat, your boss needs to focus on this as a family problem, not just the problem of the child. She can always go back to work at a later date, but she only has one opportunity to help her child through this crisis. Just looking online, there is a place in California that specializes in treatment of eating disorders for adolescent girls and women. The name of the place is Montecatini and their number is (877) 762-3753. Calling that number would be a place to start...it is located in California, but if you are not, you should do an internet search under inpatient + eating disorders + whatever state you are from.

Best of luck to your boss and her family. Bless you for wanting to help them.

A.,

I would start with taking her to the Dr. to check her levels for appropriate nutrition levels... a psychologist for some therapy on the possible eating disorder...

Something must have changed in her little world in order to cause this... it could also be a change of her body that is affecting her.. it can be many things...

Maybe she has a bf and hiding it...making her nervous and sick to her stomach... etc...

There are so many possibilities.

Get her checked...is the 1st step...

Maybe some vitamins to help with the nutrition levels...

Hello, PLEASE, tell your boss to take her daughter to a doctor and get a referral to a specialist with eating disorders. This should not be taken lightly. If not treated this disorder could cause permanent medical problems and/or death.
K. K.

I'm so glad you are reaching out. This as you must know is really serious. There is an eating disorder clinic in Calabaasas,and Thousand Oaks called La Ventana. There phone # is ###-###-#### www.laventanaeatingdisorder.com

If I can be of any help, I am a certified clinical hypnotherpist with professional and personal experience with eating issues.
www.innerroadtochange.com .. ###-###-#### if you have any quesitons call me
J. T

My daughter has been battling anorexia for two plus years now. Please tell your boss to get help as soon as possible--the longer it goes on, the harder it is to deal with and the more dangerous it gets. Here is a link to a treatment center in Rosemead. This is closer to Ontario than the other places suggested:

http://www.bhcalhambrahospital.net/reasons/

The BHC Alhambra Hospital has a good program for both inpatients and outpatients.

Wishing all the family the best,
D.

Hi there, Run don't walk, to a good program that deals with Anorexics. I have experience in this area and it's really tough to treat. If her pediatrician does not make a good reccomendation for a program and a therapist try calling Cedar Sinai Thalians group. They have an active referral program.

Intervention, Intervention. Professional help for the family.

eating disorders are awful! im so sorry for your boss and her family.
anorexia is also something that is psychological. that poor girl needs some psych counseling and she needs it ASAP

It sounds like your bosses daughter needs help immediately! Eating issues do not usually resolve themselves without treatment. I would recommend a colleague of mine who specializes in eating disordered behaviors. She is an exceptional clinician and has incredible training and experience. She also has great relationships with nutritionists and psychiatrists who work specifically with eating-related struggles. Also, if she is in need of inpatient treatment Dr. Thompson can help identify that and direct her and her family to the right place.

Anne Thompson, Ph.D.
Ph: ###-###-####
Her office is located in Beverly Hills

I hope this helps.
All the best,
J.
www.drjessicazucker.com

From my very own experience it is very rare that someone with an eating disorder will get better from out patient therapy (not to say it's not possible because it is) but inpatient can be very effective! You should talk to your boss about putting her in a inpatient center with doctors that specialize in eating disorders and eating disorders only and where she is closely monitored! Anorexia and Bulimia are very tricky diseases to treat and it's very important you have the right doctors!!!

You may want to look into Landmark Education for personal development. Or you may want to look into Agape International Spiritual Center. I go there to meditate. Also, there are books on Indigo and Crystal children. Sometimes prodigies or advanced children need more attention. I don't know if her problem is health related, you may want to look into NAET.com for allergy treatments. Sometimes mood swings do occur due to allergies.

Be well.

N.

Sounds like anorexia. Get her to the dr. ASAP! She needs help. Be supportive. The daughter probably feels she needs control and this is the only thing she can control is her eating (or lack of). Start with the daughter's doctor who can do the necessary referrals but don't let the doc. brush off the concerns.

She may very well be bulimic and/or anorexic.
Be careful as you know... many times they need therapy in conjunction with medical supervision... since it seems she is sorta extremely affected by non-eating already... and in extreme cases, caused medical problems, death, malnutrition etc.
In instances like this, the parents would probably NEED outside help... professional help. So that their assistance is on target and professionally gauged and directed. I would highly recommend professional guidance...

All the best,
Susan

Hi A.,

It sounds like the 17 yr old might have some anxiety about something, or drugs? Have they taken her to a dr? What about a therapist of some sort? I have 4 kids(ages 16, 14, 3.5 and 21 months) and have never had this problem. Can she talk to the school counselor? Have they talked to her friends? or their parents? do her friends not eat? What about a food counselor? Does she realize how she is damaging her body by not eating? My heart goes to her and her mother and father. I will keep them in my prayers!

wish I could be of more help. Best of luck to them!
M.

I agree with the others. She has an eating disorder, most likely anorexia. She needs to be hospitalized. Let your boss know anorexia can be fatal if the girl does not get help. She is basically starving herself to death. She may also be exercising to the extreme and probably wears baggy clothing to hide how skinny she is. She does not see herself as skinny. Please get her to the doctor/emergency room immediately. Have her google Karen Carpenter for an example on anorexia.

Sadly she needs medical help. Most likely they will need to admit her and make sure she is feed through tubes if need be. It is wonderful for her parents to be with her however it sounds like medical help is what is truly needed at this point.
Good luck!

Family counseling. Preferably with someone who specializes in eating disorders...
Good luck to her
R.

It sounds like the daughter has a eating disorder and need psychological help. Have the mother get her to a doctor before she ruins her health. After she is 18 the parents will not be able to "interfer" and make her go to the doctor.
H.