I'm just getting sick of therapists and doctors telling me that I have an eating disorder. I am underweight, but I honestly don't believe I'm sickly underweight. I have a high metabolism and this is my body type. I've tried to gain weight before, I WANT to gain weight, but it just doesn't work. I've been severely depressed for years, and I've had agoraphobia in the past and been afraid of choking to death and wasn't able to eat solid food, and the doctor didn't seem to understand that and accused me of having an eating disorder. I'm not afraid of choking to death anymore so up until a week ago I'd been eating normally. Now I just have absolutely no appetite because I'm so depressed so it's very hard to make myself eat. Does any of this sound like an eating disorder? Am I wrong in thinking it's not?

[HealingTimes]

It sounds to me like your eating is disordered, but i am not sure if it would come under an Eating Disorder diagnoses. The choking fear sounds a bit like a food phobia, but its great that you are no longer scared of that.

Depression can definitely decrease appetite too.

The problem is that "I honestly don't believe I'm sickly underweight. I have a high metabolism and this is my body type. I've tried to gain weight before, I WANT to gain weight, but it just doesn't work." are all excuses that i have given to medical/psych professionals (and myself!) in the past to hide my ED. I am not saying that is what you ARE doing, but do you think it may be a possibility?

[Nine Lives]

If you do, it's something other than anorexia or bulimia. But I don't really think loss of appetite due to depression is considered an eating disorder though. But try not to focus on the labeling. When you talk to your doctor, repeat the specifics of your problem and let him know what you want to eat, that your relationship with food is fine, but your loss of appetite is from your depression. You should get treated for your depression and see if that helps. There could also be other things that are preventing you from gaining weight other than metabolism, so just make sure it's not something else.

I don't know how much you weigh but there is a certain point where you should be hospitalized if your bmi is low enough. I've seen people with bmi of 14 and 15 and they are running around in good health and vitals, which seems dangerously low but isn't always the case.

Red flags that you might be too low of a weight is, dizziness, fatigue, bloated belly, period irregularity. It's more about how you feel than how you look.

They do sound like excuses, huh. But no, I don't come on PC to hide things. I promise.

[HealingTimes]

have they said what ED that they think you have?

Originally Posted by Nine Lives

Red flags that you might be too low of a weight is, dizziness, fatigue, bloated belly, period irregularity. It's more about how you feel than how you look.

This really scared me because when I eat normally, I'm always bloated... and I feel so dizzy and fatigued and weak right now... but I haven't eaten much at all in a week so I guess it could just be low blood sugar. I'm scared. I've never lost my appetite for this long before.

Originally Posted by HealingTimes

have they said what ED that they think you have?

No, they haven't.

[Nine Lives]

Yeah, you need to get into the doctor and find out the source for your appetite issue. If you can, try to drink Ensure or something like in the meantime.

Originally Posted by Nine Lives

Yeah, you need to get into the doctor and find out the source for your appetite issue. If you can, try to drink Ensure or something like in the meantime.

I mean, I'm pretty positive my loss of appetite is from depression. But yeah I've been trying to drink those nutrition drinks, and I finally had a meal this evening. My therapist will probably talk to me about it some more next week. so wish me luck.

[Victoria'smom]

I'm ED-NOS meaning I have an eating disorder but I don't fit nice and neat in a category. Ask them. look up functional dysphagia and see if that helps.

They're still saying it's an eating disorder, just not developed from wanting to be thin.

[Victoria'smom]

I don't think most eating disorders start by wanting to be thin.

Then I admit I don't understand it then.

[Victoria'smom]

Each of us have our own path to ED. Mine started as an OCD as a child but each of us have a disordered relationship to food.