Hello! I know I am still young (I'm 15) but a couple of months ago my friends sent me a link to an article about selective eating disorder and for the the first time I wasn't alone
I can't remember a time when I wasn't a picky eater. Ever since I outgrew the kids menu, going out to eat has caused me great anxiety. Even dinner at my house has and can be a nightmare filled with my anxiety. The hardest part about this is that I have always been told that I will out grow "it" that my pickiness is a phase. My own family treats it as if it's my choice. This has a huge mental effect on me. I feel ashamed and embarrassed and it's hard that they refuse to understand the one thing that affects me the most in life.
For instance my family chose to go out to dinner for Christmas Eve at this Chinese restaurant, (and they know I won't eat a thing off the menu) After complaining about it I got yelled at followed by a lecture about how I'm choosing to limit myself and how if I would only just eat the new foods my life would be better.
I can't even recall the amount of times I've gone to bed crying after dinner or have gone to bed hungry because of this picky eating and the way my family treats it. I'm worried my mental state won't get better.
My question would be, what's the best way to educate your family and how do you handle family dynamics regarding picky eating???
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wrote on December 24, 2016
at
2:36 am
Admin Reply by: Bob
First off you probably do have a real eating disorder in the medical books called ARFID. It is real and you never chose to have it. At this point in your life change is going to be very difficult if not impossible. You need to know that you have lots of company all over the world. Some very famous people have it and have managed to have great and fruitful lives. Currently your problems are all the social ills that accompany your disorder and in your case convincing your family you have an eating disorder. Teenage years as a picky eater can be very stressful. I have heard your current story over and over. You might try to get one or both of your parents to check out our website. Especially the videos. Good luck and now go out and have a great life.
