Bulimia in Adolescence

I have learned quite a lot about anorexia and bulimia in adolescence in many of my college courses. I learned a few new things about eating disorders in Chapter 14 that hit close to home. “Girls who mature earlier and who have higher level of body fat are more susceptible to eating disorders during later adolescence” (Feldman, 2007, p 390). I have a friend that I have known since sophomore year in high school. She was a bigger girl, but always seemed to be content with the way she looked. We would go out to dinner, and every time at the end of the meal she would have to go to the bathroom. The thought that she could be bulimic did not cross my mind, until we had been friends for about a year and she came clean. She told me that every time she eats she feels sick afterwards. She said her stomach hurt so bad that she had no choice but to throw up. I would try to not allow her to go to the bathroom, but after awhile it just seemed normal for her to do it and I semi-accepted it. In our senior year of high school, her father left her mother. She decided to see a therapist and this helped her immensely. The book mentions that adolescents who are depressed are more likely to have an eating disorder. The doctor found out she was suffering from depression and began to work with her on her eating disorder. We are still best friends and she is doing much better. She tells me every once and awhile that she will still purge, but she tries to eat well and work out 5 days a week instead. It is amazing to me to think that she has been this way for almost 8 years and no on really knew because she was extremely skinny or sickly looking. When I look back I wish I had pushed her harder to get help when I first found out, but I am glad that she was able to eventually and is on the right track now!