This becomes a minefield for everyone, but in particular for those who have the eating disorder. It takes a long time to build a support team, even longer to trust them and open up. Medication is also wrapped in in this – whether it is a psychiatrist or a pediatrician who prescribes it. One of Sophie’s fears was reaching 18 and then losing her team. I also know this is a fear of many others who have emailed me. Some I know how things have turned out, others I don’t. I have followed the labyrinth and pain that is involved in changing your team, and constantly trying new professionals to get just the basic recognition.
For us, thankfully, this year and next year both counselor and psychiatrist have offered to stay beside Sophie. They know themselves how much changing teams can affect someone in recovery. They don’t need to do this for my daughter but they do. I also know they do the same for others who have passed the 18yr mark.
What really messes things up even more, is the transition from child to adult also times with moving out, uni, work changes. Big things. Then you add on top of that, losing the support team you trusted and having to find a new team – often in a city you know nothing about. Finances also impact. What 18-25 yr old has access to the kind of money needed to keep ongoing care and medication at the levels you need. Psychiatrists are not cheap, and don’t offer lower prices just cause you are a student or low income.
Sometimes your current support team, know of suitable adult professionals they can refer you onto. This can help. Mostly though, it is trial and error. Find a new professional, see how it goes. If that doesn’t work, find another professional, see how that goes. And so on. You can see why those who suffer eating disorders often give up or struggle to find the right care to help them continue recovery into their adult years.
A good place to start is often ED websites that cover your country or area. They should be able to refer you to professionals who do have eating disorder experience. Depending upon where my daughter ends up studying, as well as the team here, I will also see who else is available in her new city. But it still will involve trial and error.
All this is just another area that is given very little acknowledgement by those who fund or can change the treatment options available. It is acknowledged only on the lower levels where little can be done, except empathise and say you know how hard it is. It is not good enough, nor even remotely adequate. From start to finish anyone with an eating disorder has to fight the system for recognition and the care they need to recover. Research is coming out highlighting early intervention, highlighting support teams and the needed treatment and care, but it doesn’t reach where it needs to be. Governments say how critical mental health care is, but eating disorders fall off the edge – and in reality governments don’t fund enough for any kind of mental health care anyway.
It hurts to see how much effort goes into recovery when your son or daughter is a teen and at home. Then see it all disintegrate because when they become an adult the system fails them.