Tell me about bulimia in teenage boys and the problems that go with it?

I have a 17 year old son with it. He started when he was 14/15 after a viral infection that went on for weeks where he was continually being sick. It has left him feeling very down about himself. He left school at the end of June last year after taking his GCSE's but whilst he was taking these he was very poorly with Glandular Fever. He gets very short fused and at times does not want to talk to us. He likes going to drink with his friends but is slowly stopping doing that, Just need advice and to hear from anyone who has gone through this as a parent or even a teenager who has suffered like this. Thanks very much

Hello. I had the same thing when i was 12 years old and glandular fever is the worst thing that can happen. I could not eat and i lost alot of weight and i really hated myself. The worst thing i got glandular fever back for a second time. If you can try and get your son to see a social worker as talking will help him. I know that i stopped eating and went up and down for years after it but it takes patience to get him back on track. I am sorry i am not much help but email me if you want to talk about this as i have been thru it twice. Take care and good luck.

I have no personal experience with bulimia in boys, but as a girl that suffered, I can relate...

Bulimia is something that you really can't control once it starts...once you start eating, you think, okay, I'll just keep this in my stomach, it's not like I'm eating much, right? but then you keep eating...and eating...and eating...and it feels so good! You feel like you're doing something bad and the endorphins keep coming.

Then, it's almost like you can't take it amymore. You feel like if you eat anymore, you'll get too fat. So, as fast as possible, you puke it all out. It feels really good after that too, like you can feel so intune with your body because it feels like there's a big gap where the food once was and it feels relieved that it's gone.

When I went through these episodes, I felt in control of something. If I can't have control over how my life is or what my parents do to me, I can at least have control over my weight...and it feels good to have that sort of control when you're not used to having any.

Bulimia is hard to deal with, but it is possible to get out of. I recommend letting him do it, but letting him know that you're there for him.

It sounds tough, but I didn't want my mom to know that I was doing this. I was ashamed because she viewed it as a bad thing whereas I viewed it as a good thing. I still have mixed emotions about whether it's good or bad, but I know now when to stop.

I couldn't talk to her about it. I could only talk to my boyfriend about it. When I started feeling more comfortable with my problem, I eventually let her know.

Like I said, just let him know that you're there for him and you'll support his actions, as long as they are beneficial to him and not harmful to him. Even if he doesn't seem to want your help, it feels SOOOOOOO good to know that someone is there for you. It makes you feel like...maybe you are a human being who is worth caring about...and not alone.

Best of luck...it's really quite hard...