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My friend (14) has ADHD and she takes medication for it. The problem is, when she doesn't take her medication, she's of corse really hyper, and will eat everything in sight at lunch. But when she does take her medication, she doesn't eat at all. She hasn't eaten lunch for so long that's she's lost a lot of weight and she' really really skinny. Her size 1 jeans are getting looser on her every day. My friends and I have told her mom, and other parents to, but when they ask her if she's eating, she just lies and says she is. So no one believes us that she's not eating. And I also think it might be getting to her head a little bit because she always snaps at us when we tell her that she's getting too skinny and she needs to start eating. She'll say "no i'm not too skinny" but she really is. She gets tinnier every day she doesn't eat. What should we do?
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I find it sincerely bizarre that all the parents you've told will believe her when she tells them she is eating, considering that she is known to be mentally unbalanced---and they don't believe you, who observe her and are aware of what she does.
The psychiatrist who prescribed her medication should know that side-effects of the drugs could cause her to lose her desire to eat. Or, if it's not the drugs but another part of her mental process (or illness) that makes her unwilling to eat, her psychiatrist should be aware of that too.
Too many people are put on drugs that either don't need to be or without complete evaluation. Right now in America there's a rash of doctors prescribing drugs at the drop of a hat because people LOVE a quick solution--such as a pill. She may not have been properly observed and taken care of, and her drugs could have been prescribed before finding out whether that's the best course of action for her.
Do you have any persuasion over her? Could you get her to eat anything at all? You're doing the right thing, trying to involve adults, but if they refuse to see the incredibly fucking obvious problem in front of them (according to the way you've described it), they're behaving in a way that's actually illegal.
Keep bothering people about this. You are concerned about your friend, and that's the most important thing you could do. This is the sort of thing you will remember for the rest of your life. If her parents aren't believing or listening to you, tell a teacher you trust--or any doctor, a policeman, SOMEONE. The police are there to help, and are trained in psychological and sociological problems as well as law and force. Whatever happens, you are the one who is around her every day and can see her getting sicker. Use that phrase, in fact. Point out to people that you are the one who sees her for most of the day and know what she's REALLY like. Adults like to forget that, and pretend they know what's going on, but how much time do parents really spend with 14-year old kids?
In my experience, not a whole lot.
Talk to people about this, and tell them what you've been seeing; write it down if you aren't sure how to present it. Make a list of things--how she behaves, what she looks like, what she says. I think a police officer could be a good bet on this. They can take steps to make sure her parents wake up and someone will take care of your friend.
Good luck... if you need more help keep asking around.
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