When I went to my parents for help they just yelled at me. I'm not old enough to drive or see a therapist... what do I do?

Oh boy. This is one of the major things with ED's that just royally ticks me off. Let me first say to anyone who has tried asking for help and has just gotten yelled at or even punished for coming forward with their problems that it is NOT your fault. Your parents or family members have no right what so ever to respond back with anger, threats, or punishment, and regardless of what they say you ARE a deserving being who needs help.

If you or someone you know is in this situation where help is not immediately available, then there is help online for you. At Something Fishy's Online Support page there are chats, message boards, and tons of links for people to get support out of. If you do a search on Mamma for online support for eating disorders you can find mailing lists and more chats and sites so that you can get support from others online who are in therapy currently or are recovered.

Are there any sites or groups out there for friends or family members of someone suffering?

Here is what I managed to find in hopes that it'll be of some help: Something Fishy (good source for friends and families; chat and message board), ED Newsletter (mainly deals with families of ED sufferers; newsletter was abandoned, but the site is still up for information), Eating Disorders Education Organization (stationed in Canada, but if you write I'm sure someone will be able to help you), S.C.a.R.E.D. (has a section for friends and families although it is just about what and what not to do; has a lot of links with one to an email support group for parents that probably has friends of sufferers as well).

There's also a really good book out there, The Secret Language of Eating Disorders, by Peggy Claude-Pierre. Although it's directed mainly towards sufferers of anorexia, there's also a section for friends and families and is very helpful for friends and families to get a better grasp of understanding and on what to do.

Do you do interviews or questions for reports?

I once did an interview for a teen magazine (all of which I feel are total hypocrites, but on with the question) and in the end the interviewer essentially took what I said and made up some things that sounded good and then took anything else that I had actually said over the phone and over-exaggerated. In the end, once I read the published article 6 months later, there was hardly anything that I had actually said in there and I put it back on the magazine rack in disgust. I'm not saying that all interviewers and magazines are going to be so horrible with the trampling of the rights of others, but after hearing a similar experience happen to a friend of mine with another magazine, I am extremely weary of doing another interview out of the fear that the same situation will happen and my words will get twisted around and deleated for the sake of selling more magazines. If I am to be interviewed for a magazine, I ask that I see the FINAL COPY BEFORE publishing. If after that I don't give you permission to publish something because it's false, then I expect that to be respected.

As far as reports go for school, that's fine with me. :) I haven't run into any kind of trouble for that, but once again, I ask that the final copy be sent to me just to make sure that only what was said or typed is there and not messed with or "re-worded."

(In case anyone is wondering, once my friend and I had read both of the articles in the diff. magazines that were published, we called the interviewers and publishers and asked that something be mentioned in the next issue about the "problems" found with what was posted about us, but both of their responses went along the lines of "We can't do anything because it was already published and we don't have the time nor the care to make mention of any mistakes next issue." Ugh...)

How long does it take to cure an eating disorder?

Recovery has no time limit! How fast someone recovers from an eating disorder is dependent upon the kinds of issues that are triggering the eating disorder, the family, how competent the treatment staff is, and how much work the person themselves puts into recovery. Each person is an individual, and each will take a shorter or longer period of time to recover as compared to the next person. Don't concentrate on days, months, or years, but more on progress.

How come you don't have a section for compulsive overeating? Isn't that an eating disorder too?

Yes, compulsive overeating, also known as binge eating disorder, is an eating disorder. The reason why it is not explored within this site, though, is because I wanted to make this site from the perspective of someone who is experiencing the eating disorders currently. I've never battled with binge eating disorder, so that's why I haven't typed up a section for it. I don't know. I'd just feel fake or as if I have no idea what I'm talking about if I were to do that. If you are a binge eating disorder sufferer, please go to the main links page and visit the sites there as they should be able to help you. :)

I come from a good family who has never abused me, so why do I have an eating disorder? I thought only people who had a horrible background developed one.

Eating disorders can occur any and everywhere. From a basic point of view eating disorders are the way in which someone deals with any kind of stress, regardless of whether that stress comes from the family or not. Someone can have a good family, but still feel as though they need to control their bodies and be perfect or that the only way they can deal with stress from relationships or school is through food.

Do eating disorders run rampant in sports like gymnastics and ice skating?

From what I've seen and heard, unfortunately the answer is yes. Sports like gymnastics, ice skating, ballet, and also wrestling are practically breeding grounds for disordered eating patterns. I mean, what do you expect when you are in a sport where your success depends heavily upon how light you are so that you can fit into this or that weight class or so that you can jump higher? It also doesn't help that you are in skin tight clothing or leotards during practices and competitions, not to mention that with ballet you are in a room full of mirrors. I was fortunate enough that when I was in gymnastics I had some great coaches so that never really triggered the eating disorder much. Sports like those above may not cause eating disorders to develop alone, but they can easily trigger them, especially if you have medal-happy coaches and/or parents. More education needs to be spread to gyms and training centers all around to get coaches, directors, and parents to understand just how an eating disorder can form under such conditions, and how they can help to prevent them.