Recovery

Who?
Pretty much any eating disorder will require you to make a choice: do I want to keep living this way and slowly die, or do I want to save myself? How you answer that question determines what path--if any--you're going to take.

What?
Recovery is a multi-facted process, usually involving a whole group of people helping you out and supporting you. Psychological counseling, nutritional counseling, and regular trips to your physician are totally par for the course. You may be hospitalized if your blood pressure, heart-rate, temperature, or weight (or any and all of the above) become too unstable for you to function without the constant care of a doctor. However, the sooner you go in to recovery, the less likely you'll wind up in hospital, so just keep that in mind.

When?
Depends on your situtation. If family memebrs, friends, teachers, counselors, or whoever become overly concerned, you may be forced into a recovery program. It may even be something you decide to do on your own rather than something you're made to do--in the end, I think this is the better approach, because it means that you've decided to take charge of your problem once and for all.

Where?
Psychological counseling may take place in a hospital (such as the Kaiser Center here in San Francisco) or in private practice. The same can be said of nutritional counseling. Most doctors do work out of offices, but some will be willing to make house-calls. If you're placed in an inpatient program, I hear there are excellent ones in SoCal and in Oklahoma. Again, inpatient is NOT what you want to be, so do everything possible to get yourself stablized before that point.

Why?
Do you even really need to ask? Starvation causes your body to eat away at first fat, then muscle, then organ tissues, eventually destroying your heart, lungs, bones, and brain. It screws with your reproductive organs, ladies, and may leave you permanently unable to have kids. Purging damages your upper-digestive tract, which leads to ulcers and possibly holes in your esophagus, and may eventually leave you unable to digest any food at all. Also, the pressure of throwing up can cause blood vessels in your eyes and eyelids to burst...and of course, in your brain (anuerysm) or heart (cardiac arrest). Electrolyte imbalances can also lead to a heart attack. Laxatives can SERIOUSLY screw up your lower digestive tract, causing dehydration (which is bad all around), with those same electrolyte imbalances, as well as physical damage to your intestines. The dangers of overeating include heart-attack, stroke, breathing difficulties, and stress on your bones.

How?
Not quite sure how to get help? The National Eating Disorders Association website has a plethora of numbers and organizations but, if you don't feel comfortable calling a national hotline, talk to the people around you. I never cease to be amazed how many of my friends have and have had EDs or other psychological problems and how much information they have. Ask a teacher or school counselor that you trust or, hell, even parents understand. Your regular physician is bound to keep anything you say in his/her office confidential, so maybe ask a few questions. When talking to adults, I recommend using the "I want to know because a friend of mine..." approach. It's an old old trick, but sometimes works.