Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi
my 17year old son around 8 weeks ago started reducing calories to 300 per day. He has currently been in hospital for refeeding for the last 5 weeks - this initially was done by tube feeding and more recently he has orally been drinking fortified shakes. He at present is medically fit for discharge but mentally miles away from healthy. He struggles to explain his feelings but says that he is in a constant state of anxiety and has been for many years. The local eating disorder clinic is involved but I feel they do not understand his autism. He has yet to receive any form of counselling/therapy and due to being 18 in a month or so there is an ongoing conflict of who will provide this. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
thanks
Hello. I was diagnosed and hospitalised with anorexia (and OCD and anxiety) aged just 19 (so hospitalised in an adult acute psychiatric ward – it was 1991 so not many specialist units). I was diagnosed by the South London and Maudsley NHS Trust as autistic just before my 50th birthday at the end of last year. I feel that if it had been known that I was autistic as well, the different professional people trying to help me over the years might have been able to take a different angle that I would have been able to benefit from a bit better. There has been lots of research done into the connection between anorexia and autism and there are some places who are really looking into better ways of addressing anorexia in autistic people. I think the approach outlined here would have helped me: https://www.peacepathway.org/patients There is information here for professionals here too. I hope the people treating your son might look at this. My very best wishes both to your son and to you and all your family.