How do you get a depressed 15-yr-old boy to EAT?! Help, please?

[bertha katzenengel]

AAAAAHHHHHHHHH!

It's a terrible cycle. He gets down, doesn't feel like eating, and the lack of energy makes it worse.

Help?! Thank you very much.

[In_The_Wind]

1. Offer him a bribe.

But only if his favorite comfort foods go untouched.

Eating disorders suck.

[Shine]

2. Maybe he needs some counseling to get at the root of what's going on

internally. Someone objective... It's sad that he's dealing with depression at such a young age.

:hug:

[bertha katzenengel]

4. No question.

:( There is no money for that. FUCK this bass-ackwards country sometimes. :grr:

[Midlodemocrat]

5. Depending on where he lives, he could

get a free mental health assessment and meds.

:hug:

Good Luck, B.

[Shine]

6. I wouldn't give up yet. Because he's a minor, there might be some

lo-income or free counseling alternatives for him. Start by checking in with his school counselor about potential resources.

If this has been going on for a long time, I'd definitely be concerned.

I'm sorry this is happening.

[YellowRubberDuckie]

28. Is there a NAMI in your area?

Look in the yellow pages. They will hook you up with therapists who do pro bono work. One of my college professors was the child psych director of NAMI here in Oklahoma, but it's national. I'd look around, see if they have an office there.
Duckie

[Bridget Burke]

3. Has a doctor checked him out lately?

Perhaps he needs couseling about the depression.

[bertha katzenengel]

11. He has an appointment on the 24th --

thanks, Bridget.

[Atmashine]

7. I agree with the others

about getting a doctor. For immediate help, try cheese. :-) That always worked for me at that age. And...well...nowadays too.

[otohara]

8. Skullcap

It's thought of as mainly an herb for women, but it works really well for eating disorders. It also helps with anxiety - and sleep.

Check it out on the web, you can buy it by it self in caps or tincture (liquid tastes like poison and he won't take it) - There's combos you can get with other herbs for eating disorders.

[jpgray]

9. Five across the eyes

It's really a cure-all for adolescent misbehavior. It's how I was raised (not really) and you could set your watch by my nutritional proclivities (in that I usually eat around the same time). :patriot:

[bertha katzenengel]

12. ???

What's five across the eyes? Are you talking about being hit?

[SOteric]

13. Yes, but he's not serious.

Not to worry.

[bertha katzenengel]

14. Phew.

Didn't expect that outta jpgray. I need to tune up my sarcasm meter.

Thanks, SO.

[radwriter0555]

10. Mrs. Field's cookies and milk.

Food of the gods.

[Blue-Jay]

15. Pizza. That usually works.

He'll snap out of it sooner or later. 15 year olds get moody.

[catmandu57]

16. Alice B Toklas brownies

If he eats one he won't stop.

[philosophie_en_rose]

17. Junk food.

or high-calorie mini-foods like granola bars or protein shakes.

My mother had this problem with my sister. The key is to trick them into eating small things that pack in the calories. Also, insist on vitamin pills.

Of course, it's only a quick fix of the symptoms. There are probably deeper issues to resolve. If it's just that he's not interesting in eating, making food quick and effective is important. If he's so depressed that he can't eat - he needs more help than a pop tart can provide.

[DS1]

18. Bribe him with porn

Start with a couple old Playboys and work your way up if needed.

That's what I'd do anyway.

[bertha katzenengel]

21. OH shit -- that would work, but I seriously doubt my sister wants

to go there.

The boy already pervs on Victoria's Secret, like a normal adolescent. Full blown (no pun intended) porn is a bit much yet. He is a tender soul.

:bounce:

[DS1]

22. Nah

Like I said, old Playboys, before they started showing the naughty bits in detail and soft-focus lenses were all the rage :D

[bertha katzenengel]

23. You know what?!

There's a whole box of those in my basement! :rofl: I was gonna sell 'em on eBay....

[DS1]

25. You know what else?

People collect them, if they're in good condition, you could probably get over the marked price for each copy.

Especially the celebrity ones like Vanessa White, Dana Plato, Samantha Fox, Susanne Summers (1980), Patti Davis, Nancy Sinatra


sigh, I know way too much about this :yoiks:

[ET Awful]

19. Put food in front of him and tell him he's not aloud to eat.

There is no surer way to get a teenager to do something than to tell them they aren't allowed to do it :evilgrin:

[bertha katzenengel]

24. Hmmm....

:7

[Patiod]

20. Is it genetic? Is it a CHANGE in behavior?

I was emaciated as a kid - people later told me they thought I was anorexic. I guess the key thing is that it was consistant behavior - I didn't eat whether I was at home or at camp or at college or anywhere.

My poor parents tried everything they could to try to make me eat - put weight on me -- bananas, malt shakes, cookies, candy, Big Macs (my dad was so cute - we always stopped at McDonalds on the way home from college for a Big Mac, fries and a chocolate shake as if he could put some weight on me before we got home and frightened my mother). When I was a senior, I saw a picture in a sorority scrapbook, and thought "look at that scrawny anorexic - typical sorority girl", and then was horrified to realize that it was me. Bones sticking out everywhere - not a good look.

I met my birthmother, and saw pictures of her as a kid and teen, and she was just as painfully thin. Neither of us put any meat on our bones until well into our 20's. If we had all known this was genetic, I think we all would have been a little less worried about it.

[Nikia]

26. If there is any food or circumstance that he will eat

Go for that. If he will drink, have available nutritious but high calorie drinks. I don't know what is going through his mind, but encouraging people to eat is a fine balance between letting them know that you care enough that you want them to eat and avoiding making them feel under too much pressure to eat.
I hope the doctor has some ideas. I also hope that he is eating something between now and then.

[rug]

27. Have a 15-year old girl bring him a sandwich.

[Conan_The_Barbarian]

29. hahaha

that'll work for sure.

wow not wanting to eat, I can't even imagine that though. Wow... not wanting to eat, I just can't... argh that defies everything I know! Hell I workout simply so I can eat more so I pack on muscle upping my minimal daily cal requirements.

[DawgHouse]

30. Poor thing. I hope he feels better soon.

Definitely have a doctor check him out. Depression is not something to ignore. Good luck!