hi Sam, i'm E and recently ive discovered that i might have an eating disorder called binge eating disorder where when you eat you have this sort of urge to keep going and it turns into a binge. i've become aware of this because two of my friends have found out they have another ED called Anorexia. i was looking into eating disorders and i stumbled across more eds and saw binging disorder. Basically, i read through it and discovered a lot of my symptoms are very similar. i always binge on my food but i cant seem to not feel scared to eat infront of people, i feel guilty after ive binged but i just can't seem to stop. i was wondering if i can get some help knowing whether or not i do have it and if i do, what can i do to help it because im really insecure about it. and if i don't, what might i have instead or if im just being dramatic. thank you very much
Sam
Hi there,
It’s not always easy finding answers about how you’re feeling or what’s happening. It can help when you see information you relate with but it’s hard knowing what to do next.
Binge eating disorder is a type of eating disorder where someone will regularly eat a lot of food all in one go. It’s a serious condition and it can leave you feeling out of control, depressed, or even guilty. The NHS website has lots of information on the symptoms. It’s important to get help if you think you have it.
Lots of young people struggle to ask for support, you might be worried about being taken seriously or being seen as dramatic or attention seeking. When it comes to your mental health though, getting support is one of the most important ways of coping and finding ways to deal with what’s happening.
Your doctor is the first place to go when you think you may have a mental health issue. Your GP is there to support you with anything that’s happening, and you can see them at any age. You can speak to your parents or carers to help make an appointment or call them yourself to ask about one. If you’re worried about anyone finding out, you can ask your doctor about their confidentiality before saying anything.
There’s no right or wrong thing to say to your doctor, but it can help to be clear about what you’re worried about and why. They’ll want to ask you lots of questions to help them understand and will talk to you about what support they can give you. Tools like DocReady can help you make a checklist of what’s happening, and we’ve got lots of advice to help.
Even if you’re not ready to visit your doctor, you can still speak to Childline. Speaking to a counsellor here can give you space to talk about what’s happening openly without worrying about what will happen next. It can help you to think about how you’re feeling and decide what to do next. There are loads of ways you can talk to a Childline counsellor.
Take care,
Sam
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