Found out my housemate is Bulimic or maybe worse.

[ShuffleandTruffle]

Basically I think my one housemate is Bulimic but I have no idea how to go about talking to her or trying to get her help. We often don't see her eat but we do see her prepare one meal a day, which is usually a can of ratatouille mixed with some instant mash, she will then take the pan to her room to I assume eat it. She also drinks an odd combination of tea with honey and salt and an added sheet of gelatin, not sure if relevant.

Anyway so I went into her bedroom one day as her radiator was making an odd noise so I went to check it was okay, usually she is very weird about her room, if you knock she wont let anyone in and will come outside shutting the door behind her, and when I went into her room there was a huge bird seed bucket, a cracker box and 3 pasta jars filled to the brim with vomit. ( I took some photos of these ) Suddenly everything kind of clicked into place with how odd she is about eating around us, how she will only brush her teeth downstairs in the kitchen, her frequent visits to the rubbish dump, shes pretty obsessed with the energy and protein values food gives her and how she is constantly cold and has a space heater on 24/7.

I have no idea how to even start talking to her about it or her being mad that I invaded her space. In my early teenage years I lost a close friend to anorexia and eating disorders so Im getting all the confusion of that again of not knowing how to help her or if she will even want the help. We are 22 and only have 5 months of our house contract left and I dont want to leave not helping her. Do I try contacting her parents?

Thankyou and sorry for the wall of text

[canary232]

It sounds like your housemate is quite deep into her eating disorder and needs professional help. It can be very difficult to bring up the situation, I unfortunately can't say how to go about it exactly as I have not. Contacting her parents would probably be a good step. Do understand that eating disorders come with a lot of embarrassment and shame, so I probably wouldn't mention what you saw in her bedroom or confront her about the situation with others. Coming from someone who has a disorder, I would approach her and express your concern in the sincerest way possible. People with disorders generally have a lot of stress and anxiety, and an intense confrontation could cause severe distress and have the opposite effect you want. It is very kind of you to be concerned about your housemate, I hope she get the help she needs.