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Friday, May 14, 2010

Friends' Criticisms Cause Boy to Nearly Starve Himself to Death

In a frightening story of just how seriously kids can react to criticism from friends -- and how that criticism can lead to or exacerbate low self-esteem -- a young man from Great Britain is talking about his experience with eating disorders. He began “dieting” after being teased at school, and he eventually became so sick that he had to be fed through a tube.

His problems began when he started at Stockport secondary school at the age of 11. Older children called him names and teased him about his weight. It quickly spiraled out of control as he rapidly shed pounds. Eventually he collapsed and was admitted to nearby Stepping Hill hospital. (Source: The Daily Mail)

At the height of his struggle, Taylor was consuming just 50 calories a day. Taylor’s mom is quick to point out that he wasn’t “bullied,” as some newspapers have reported. She believes it’s important for parents and young people to realize that even innocent, seemingly harmless comments about a person’s weight can have terrible effects.


 

Labels: influences, starvation, friends

Posted By: Stefanie Hamilton

Comments:

Chelsea on 11/30/2010
An eating disorder often starts from a simple attempt at dieting, but in order for a full-blown eating disorder to happen and be sustained, the person has other things going on that need attention. A child like this needs to be evaluated by a doctor and likely a therapist, too. It's important to find out what outside circumstances are contributing to an ed, but also what inner dialogue is going on that keeps a child so rooted in self-destruction.