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Yes, 100% it's the mental illness and not her.

The approach being taken (by the hospital) is to get her back to a healthy weight and level of nutrition before starting therapy because a nutrient starved brain doesn't respond to psychology / therapy.



I've seen hundreds of kids go through the program where I used to work, and it always made me incredibly proud to work there. She can do it, 100% no questions. It won't be easy, but she can do it. Sounds like she has a great parent. Good luck!


That's a horrible catch 22 you have there:

Starvation hampers therapy, but without therapy the individual wants to starve.

I know words don't help much, but I sincerely hope her situation improves.


The last couple of days she's been noticeably better personality-wise (likely as a result of increased nutrition levels), but it's a very "up and down" kind of illness, it does mean that she's still in there and not totally swallowed up into the beast.

I'm fundamentally optimistic, and more optimistic now than I was a week ago.

The way the hospital gets past the 'not wanting to eat' is they give her a nose-feeding tube, through which they syringe a nutrition liquid. This is their base for getting them to non-starvation mode. My daughter had been eating enough to have tube removed a couple of days ago.

Having said that, it's a 12-month-ish program, and potentially a lifelong 'back of your mind' concern.




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