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Topic : 06/11 Scary Skinny

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Created on : Friday, November 02, 2007, 11:53:05 am

Author : DrPhilBoard1

(Original Air Date: 11/16/07) We live in a culture that glamorizes svelte celebrities from Angelina Jolie to Paris Hilton. But some women put their lives in jeopardy for the sake of being skinny. Twenty-three-year-old Jessica weighs 95 pounds and has battled anorexia for 10 years. She says she’s obsessed with exercising and counting calories, and only sees a fat woman when she looks in the mirror. Jessica’s younger sister, Theresa, fears for Jessica’s life but doesn’t know how to approach her. What’s at the root of Jessica’s disorder? Find out why the siblings say the answer lies in their childhood. Then, Jessica isn’t the only one in her family fighting anorexia. Her 12-year-old cousin, Nicole, was recently hospitalized because she lost 60 pounds in the last three months -- all in an effort to look like Nicole Richie. Don’t miss Dr. Phil’s strong message for the young women. Plus, Alita became bulimic at the age of 17 when she weighed 220 pounds. Now, at 24, she’s 95 pounds lighter but still wants to lose weight. Alita says she binges every day -- eating up to six plates of food at a time -- and then purges. She gives Dr. Phil camera crews a disturbing look at a day in her life. And, Alita’s father, Frank, worries that she’ll die if she doesn’t get help soon. Is Frank enabling her bulimia? Share your thoughts here.

Find out what happened on the show.

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tanyaattebery

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June 11, 2008, 4:32 pm PDT

06/11 Scary Skinny

Quote From: cvilla

I have struggled with eating issues all my life since I was years old. I have decide that at 43 this is just a part of my life that wil never change. The desire to be thin is not influenced by others, is not any one elses fault it is my own choice. I have chose to live my life with this decision and will probably be like this until the day I die. I doubt that anyone who is a part of my life really knows the lengths that I have gone to to achieve the body that they covet

Wow, I probably was one that coveted your body if you are that perfect, but not any more. I am a size 10 and am healthy which I was not when I was a size 5 and not eating, so I hope your body holds up. I know I have a choice and really it is what I think of myself and I hope when you mention-until you die-that you mean you like yourself now and that what you do for others, yourself, family, friends, etc....is what makes you who you are and not what size your pants are. I hope for you that you know you have value because of who you are and not what you weigh. I think we have a lot in common :)

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weaselgirl

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June 11, 2008, 4:36 pm PDT

My sister

My sister died 3 years ago at the age 44 because she starved herself and exercised herself to death. She lost 55 pounds in 8 weeks. Her best friend told me that she only drank coffee and green tea and exercised all day long. Our family found out that her husband told her to loose weight or he would leave her and their 5 kids. My sister was about 5' 8" tall and weight about 160 pounds. To me and her friends and family, she was beautiful, inside and outside. Now he has sinced moved away (or crept away) with her kids since he is too ashamed to face our family. My sisters kids were ages 6 to 17. They have no mother now...oh I take that back....he recently married a new, size 3 woman which my nieces and nephews now call mama. I am still outraged and in grief over the whole situation. I watch this poor girl on tv in so much pain and know that is what my sister was going through. I wish I would have known earlier about my sister. She lived kind of far from me so I didn't see her that often and I didn't really know what was going on until it was too late and I received the tragic call at 11:30pm at night that my sister was gone. She was a private person and didn't want me to know what kind of turmoil she was going through. I pray for the girls on todays show, and their familys. I pray that they get the support and treatment they need in time before the tragedy that struck my sister and her family happen to them.

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shargil88

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June 11, 2008, 4:47 pm PDT

Scared Skinny

As a mother with a daughter working on recovering from anexeria, this young lady needs to get to Remuda Ranch in Arizona IMMEDIATELY. Her life is in danger, and they will help. This was my daughter 4 months ago, and my Heather is on the road to recovery. She weighed 109 at 5'10" when she was admitted. This program is the best in the country as far as I'm concerned. They start with a minimum of 60 days, not 30 as most. At 30 days, nothing can be accomplished, leaving these young ladies to suffer further. I need to talk to Dr. Phil or someone on staff, because this has affected the lives of so many young women, it's just crazy. Can someone tell me how to get in touch with a person?

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shargil88

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June 11, 2008, 4:55 pm PDT

no

Quote From: sarajo0531

I know this may sound bizarre to some but for some reason when I watch television shows such as today's Dr. Phil, I get motivated to continue my disorder. I TIVO the a&e show "intervention" in hopes for shows about eating disorders. My eating disorder is the one thing that I have had control over (sometimes I lose the control) since I can remember. Molested from age 5-11 by a male cousin, my life continued to spiral down quick. I am obsessive compulsive at times, have been diagnosed as bipolar 3 times in my life, and continue to struggle to this day. I just turned 31. I have a master's degree and one might think that I have everything in my life under control. Wrong. So wrong. So depending on the moment I may not eat for days, may binge, but almost always I am taking some type of laxative to correct the damange I have done. Sometimes up to 20 different ones at a time. I try them all and keep adding new ones to my laxative coctail. I recently filed bankruptcy after being engaged to a man that put me in debt for 90k all within 6 months. I have lived my life searching for love, but settling for whatever attention I could get. So again, the one bit of control I can keep...is this. And sad to say, I am okay as long as there is something I can hold on to for security.

No, be rest assured, you aren't the only one. There is help out there for you, but YOU have to want it. People can tell you, but you need to make the decision. Make a call to Remuda Ranch in Arizona. My daughter has been treated there. She just came home last Saturday after being away for 105 days. It wasn't all happy, but she learned what she needed to do to help herself. You need to learn that you need to take care of yourself. At your age, no one else is going to do it for you. It's a hard decision to make, but if you want to live, and not want to die, then get help. I have a friend who was molested at age 5 by a babysitter and again at 11 by a swim coach. She also has diabietes, stage 1. It took many years, and she almost lost her life many times, but this past year her daughter turned 21. She had promised her that she'd join her for her 1st legal drink, but couldn't because of the anexoria. Her daugher told her she had 364 more days to do just that. My friend finally said "YES" I do. She has gone through again, her 4th time, a treatment program. But now, it's different. She WANTS to live. The question you need to ask yourself is do you "WANT TO LIVE"? I don't know you at all, neither does my daugher, but we both WANT YOU TO LIVE!

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horsegal31508

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June 11, 2008, 4:57 pm PDT

some advice

OK I have a really good freind, we have been there for eachother for years and recently she has gotten on the role of saying how fat she is and how she needs to loose weight. well she has lost weight but I think she has lost to much weight. she is about 5.3 and between 95-100lbs. every time I am around her she is constantly looking at her self in the mirror and one minute she says stuff like I look really good right now. but a few minutes later she will say im bloated, and every time she stands up she almost falls back down because shes dizzy. she blames it on her medication but I think its something more then that. and she is always worried about exercising and burning off what she eats.

as far as i can tell she is not perging or any thing yet but im afraid that she will get that way if shes not careful.

I have told her what I thought and her boyfreind even told me that she is to skinny and he doesnt like it.

should I be worried about her or is she she at a healthy weight.

Thanks

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murnah

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June 11, 2008, 5:07 pm PDT

You Said It

Quote From: cazzie1515

I am a 31 year old high school teacher and tennis coach. I have also suffered with bulimia for the past 17 years. A year and a half ago, I decided to get control of my life and checked myself into an inpatient facility. I struggle each and everyday with my eating disorder, exercise addiction, and anxiety. I continue to spend thousands of dollars and countless hours in therapy. I am in the dentist's office every month because I have destroyed my teeth and gums. Bulimia controlled my life for 17 years. I describe it as living in a colorless world. There was so much beauty and life around me, but I was so consumed with my eating disorder that I was never able to live my life. I was numb to the world.

It is not an easy recovery. I am fighting for my life. I am fighting against the voice in my head that tells me I am never good enough, not deserving of love, and never wants me to feel anything.

I am writing this in hopes that someone who is suffering reads this and knows there are other people out there who understand. There is hope. It CAN be done.

Getting treatment saved my life; and now I get to live it. Please get help.

Thank you for sharing your experience.

Thank you for leading the way down the difficult path that leads to health and peace.

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jangler

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June 11, 2008, 5:08 pm PDT

"In Memory Of..." message at end of show?

I just finished watching the show on EDs, and at the end I just noticed that there was a message saying 'In Memory of' but I didn't see the name of who it was that had passed away. Does anyone know if it was one of the guests on the show? I'm concerned it was one of the girls.

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phleblori

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June 11, 2008, 5:26 pm PDT

The Feeling

I am a 42 yr old woman who truly knows how it feels to struggle with anorexia.. I struggled with this disease when I was a teen into my early 20's and almost died.. I was hospitalitized for over a yr. I can honestly say I was one of the lucky ones who not only survived but have honestly beaten this horrible addiction. Do I have set backs? ofcourse, but I NEVER let it get me ! At my age now I have seen physical problems that have occured because of it and that is something I just deal with. I don't dwell upon the face that I have had anorexia I grasp it because my disease has helped many women and if I help just one battle this then it has been worth all my pain. I feel blessed that i'm here and here to help. Its just sad what this world has done to our girls.

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jakesjo

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June 11, 2008, 5:38 pm PDT

The mother?

Does anyone else besides me think that the mom seemed a little detached, even cold? I have lived through this with a step daughter and saw that same look of detachment in her father (we have been divorced for years). When I tried to intervene on this lovely girl's behalf I was met with extreme anger. Denial perhaps? In my case the father was extremely critical of all three of his daughters and I found it difficult to help the girls without alienating him. All of the girls had eating disorders, but this one in particular had a pretty rough time of it and became dangerously thin. I was very disturbed by the look on this mother's face everytime the camera cut to her. I wonder if DR. Phil took notice of this. I sure hope so.

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cndrlla

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June 11, 2008, 5:38 pm PDT

06/11 Scary Skinny

Quote From: jangler

I just finished watching the show on EDs, and at the end I just noticed that there was a message saying 'In Memory of' but I didn't see the name of who it was that had passed away. Does anyone know if it was one of the guests on the show? I'm concerned it was one of the girls.

No. That is in memory of Roger King; I think he was a producer of CBS, but I'm not sure of that.

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