How long did it take from being refer... - Talk ED (eating d...
How long did it take from being referred by your GP to being seen by a specialist in the NHS Adult Eating Disorder Service?
It makes me so angry that obese people seem to have loads of money thrown at them and can see health professionals quickly to help them with their 'problem'. But people with eating disorders have to wait months and months and things get worse. I panicked so much and felt so alone when i was told I would habe to wait 4 months to be seen. Thankfully now im getting CBT its really helpful.
You know ignorance like this is just infuriating. Obese people are often eating disorder sufferers too... I'm not sure exactly what help you assume obese people are having thrown at them when the reality is that if you are BED or COE you cannot get help for your ED because the NHS doesn't fund it- the fact you are receiving CBT shows you are actually in a much better place treatment wise than the obese people that get you so angry. Psychological help is simply not available for people who are obese- at best you might get 6 sessions of online therapy which is shit or 6 weeks with a counsellor- you can't get ED specific help which sucks. Yes, there are gastric surgeries or xenical but these are only offered in a small number of cases and do nothing to address underlying problems- as an ED sufferer I'm sure you know that tackling just the behaviour/weight is never sufficient- it has to be about what is going on in your mind.
I'm glad you're getting CBT- please feel grateful for this and use it as best you can. It's fine to be angry that there are not more resources for people with EDs but don't make the (very wrong) assumption that others are better off than you (especially people who are probably just as ED'd as you and not even entitled to ED support)- there needs to be more help all around.
I completely agree.
I have had bulimia for 26 years now but because it manifests as binge eating disorder (with self harm) my weight is significantly higher than is reccommended. It does not alter the fact I have an eating disorder and being obese has certainly not fast tracked any services my way. Like Smileitsok, I think my life would have been very different had I had specialist help sooner.
When you are switching from struggling to eat, to struggling to keep food down, to eating everything in sight the last piece of advice you need to hear is "Join WeightWatchers" - trust me!!!!
I understand your frustration, Citylife, it is so hard for any of us to get the help we need at the time that we need it but I think it is vital that we show solidarity. An eating disorder is surely any pattern of eating that causes distress and sufferering to the eater; no matter what form it takes. We need to support each other and we need to fight so counselling is readily available to anyone that needs it. Help cannot and must not be dependent on the size or behaviour of the sufferer - "you're not ill enough" should never be any ones response to a cry for help.
I completely agree with the above comment. I think if I had been given help right at the start of my eating disorder (over 15 years ago now) I would have had a much quicker recovery, I think it has been long and protracted because I did not get the right help quickly enough.
I was really angry when I left my first post. I want to appologise as I now realise that eating disorders cover many areas not just anorexia. I want to wish anyone suffering from an ED the best as they battle their illness like me.
I started getting help today. I was referred by my gp in April last year!
My doctor says throwing up once or twice a day 'isn't really a problem'
I went to my GP very distressed and was referred immediately, but the appointment was for eight months time! In that time, I dropped out of university and ended up paying for hypnotherapy because I could get nothing else!
I was told that I would get support when I turned 18...months before my birthday, I was told I would no longer get treatment and that there was a years long waiting list! Thankfully, I was taken on my another service for a year, but have still never had treatment at an adults service even though I turn 20 this year
It took 14 years for a referral!
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