Tested

I was tested today for an ED and BDD (body dysmorphic disorder) during my therapy session. The BDD testing really caught me off guard because I had not read much about it ahead of time or even considered that it might apply to me. Evidently something I said to my T must have indicated to her that I needed tested for that. It was weird because that test was given orally which made it hard as I heard myself say my answer choices out loud. I kept thinking, wow is that how I really feel about my body?

Now I wait until next week to find out results. I wasn't even prepared for an ED diagnosis and now I am really scared of the possibility of having two diagnoses. My T said this will help to determine how we move forward with therapy. It makes sense but all the same I am still nervous and scared about it. I can already feel the stress causing my stomach to tighten which will only make it harder to eat.

I can understand how you feel. The diagnostic stage can be extremely nerve wracking at times. It sounds like you have a good T though that is trying to help. Just try to keep in mind no matter what happens - diagnosis or not - it will be able to help you move forward with therapy and your journey.

Thank you. I know this is a necessary step in my therapy and I am grateful my T is doing this to determine what kind of help I need.

How are you tested for an ED? I am being 100% sincere...I didn't know tests existed for the diagnosis of that.

Hi, I was given a test that was very similar to ones I have seen online. Psych central has an eating attitudes test but I can't post the link for you since I haven't done 10 posts on here yet. You can probably search for it. It looks very similar to the test I took in my T's office but there were some other questions at the beginning of mine that asked about current weight, desired weight, etc. Then at the end were 5 questions that had a different scale than the rest of the questions. If you take it online, the result will probably just indicate to you whether you should seek professional help for a potential eating problem.

Huh, interesting. My T diagnosed me just by talking with me and connecting the dots in my patterns of thoughts and behaviors.

Those kind of assessments are probably made available to any licensed therapist or psychologist but not required. Each T likely has his or her own preferred method of diagnosing.

Yup. That goes for a variety of diagnosis's.