What shouldn't I do if I suspect my friend is anorexic?

What shouldn't I do if I suspect my friend is anorexic?

Divya Kakaiya (Program Founder and Clinical Supervisor) gives expert video advice on: What should I do if I suspect my daughter or son is anorexic?; What shouldn't I do if I suspect my daughter or son is anorexic?; What should I do if I suspect my friend is anorexic? and more...

Don't get in their face about it, because you're going to get denial. So expect denial and what you shouldn't do is be really, really kind of blunt and mean and direct about it, because remember when we're talking about these Anorexics, who are girls who are very conflict-avoided and they're people pleasers; they do not like to disappoint anybody, they hate letting their friends down, and so she'll feel very ashamed and embarrassed and she'll probably become more secretive with you. So you don't want to be too direct, but it's also important if you're dealing with a friend that is a person underage, that it's super important to approach their family members and say, "I'm kind of worried about Jackie because I think that Jackie has been throwing her food away at lunchtime." So if you have a friend in school and you're noticing she's not eating her food and she just seems to be getting thinner, you can go talk to her school counselor, or you could talk to a teacher, or you could talk to that person's parent, because chances are the parents are in that denial place and they're not doing anything.