What can i do? i think my 14 year old has an eating disorder?

i have 3 kids. 19 year old son and twins who are 14 a girl (taylor) and a boy (tyler). four years ago i split up with their mother and i got custody of my oldest son but the judge ordered the twins were to be seperated so taylor had to stay with her mother. but 8 weeks ago i got a phone call of a doctor telling me to get a flight ASAP because taylor was in a critical condition after a serious head injury. they didn't expect her to live the night. it turns out her step-father and mother had been beating her and taylors step-father had smashed her head against a stone fireplace and fractored her skull. but despite the odds taylor pulled through and there has been no lasting physical damage and she is now living with me. she was in hospital 3 weeks and flew home with me 2 weeks ago when she was fit enough but im worried as she is not eating much she skips breakfast and lunch and at dinner time she doesn't eat harldy anything. what can i do? apart from that she has settled well

at first i thought it was down to been in pain but her injurys have almost healed. she was thrilled to be back with tyler and the 2 off them are happy. when they were split both off them got really depressed. she is still jumpy and nervous but she seems to be getting back to normal apart from the eating and both my boys have noticed

I went through this as a child too after being in an abusive family. It's probably just that her nerves are still a bit frayed. It's hard to eat when you are nervous. That wont go away for a while. I was 17 when I got out and now am 31 and am just settling into healthy eating habbits, but am still jumpy and nervous around men. It's going to be a while for her, but I think with you as a dad she will be just fine. I didn't have that kind of loving support untill I married, so she is ahead of the game. Keep loving her and doing what your doing and she'll come around. Maybe even offer her to go see a specialist who she can really talk to without worrying about what they think. You are her daddy and she may be afraid to open all the way up to you, because being beaten makes a person feel ashamed no matter how much you convince them they are good. I know. I wish you the very very best with her.

You have to be there for her and maybe take her to see a therapist. She likely will have some issues about the abuse that she still has to deal with.

try giving her smaller meals/snacks a few times a day. if she is still not eating well, you should talk to your doctor.

Umm...I would go to a doctor or get her someone to talk to...she may feel emotional and depressed over what her mom and stepdad did to her...that was awful..I'm so sorry!

You should ask the doctor and how to fix this condition.

Do npt worry she get to eat every thing in sight

go get help from therapist and a doctor

well, it sounds like she does have an eating disorder...and many girls at that age do ( I dealt with that at 14). I feel like it probably started due to a bad home life. If she was being abused physically then it was probably verbally too and that can very easily lead to an eating problem. Keep encouraging her like you are....it could be very tricky though. The biggest thing is probably to make sure she knows she can talk to you without being judged. Just don't tell to she is going to have to eat a certain amount every day b/c that would not go over too well. You could try to talk to her and let her know that you noticed she only eats once a day and you were wondering if anything was bothering her....just don't force it. However, if she is that underweight then you may need to tell her the doctor in the hospital said that for her health and if she wants for have kids one day she needs to put a little meat on her bones. Truthfully it sounds like you are doing good though. People have eating problems when they don't know how to deal with things and it is one thing they can control. I would give her a little more time and see if just living in your house does the trick. Just keep building her up, let her know you are a friend, but if things do not change within a month then I would sit her down and tell her your concerns and if she still does not eat tell her you will have to take her to get some help. Although, given the circumstances sending her to a counselor may be a great idea. You could see if she wanted to go b/c of the stepdad thing and once their she would probably open up about the eating thing too. Sometimes talking to a complete stanger can be way easier. Best of luck! Just make sure she knows how much you love her.

Well first of all I just need to say splitting the twins was stupid as heck! But other then that as you said she was "abused" which more then lickley she wasnt getting much food at her last home so I would write down all she eats and keep tempting her with food and I think she should start eating more. The injury probablly did so (temperary) damage to the head and she was used to not eating much before she got the injury so maybe after the head is healed all the way she will start eating more (casually, i wouldnt expect a full change in a short period of time). But also, if you notice that her weight is decreasing rather then increasing you should go see a doctor. I would give it maybe 2 weeks to a month and if their is no gain then see the doctor. And thanks for getting you'r daughter a better home, too many kids in her position and she is lucky to be one of those who were saved. =)

Definitely get her to a therapist that specializes in adolescents and eating disorders. Make it clear to the therapist and you daughter that you be involved in her care and have the ability to talk with the therapist about her plan of care. She has been through so much physically and emotionally. Reassure her that you love her and are there for her. Offer her high calorie, high protein snacks and sit with her while she eats not only to monitor that she is eating, but also some light friendly conversation will help her to take her mind off eating. Best of luck to you and your daughter. I commend you as a dad.

Get her into therapy. It may just be anxiety from all the stuff that's been going on, but if she doesn't have an eating disorder now, it could easily turn into one. She has been put through the wringer so to speak, and it would be very helpful for her to have someone to talk to about it and find ways to deal with these things.

first of all, I think you should talk to her. if thatdoesn't work, try letting your sons talk to her. coming from a teenage perspective, us kids these days are influenced by the media and family issues. bring your children out for dinner at a resturaunt or something and buy her a big meal. that will be fun.
i know that sounds childish, but oh well.
good luck

First of all, my regards are to you and your kids as that's such a difficult situation to be in. For the next few days just watch and maybe even write down what she eats, if it adds up to less than 2000 calories or so, you need to talk to her and see if it is because she has been having a hard time with everything going on or if she really does have a problem. Then go on from there.

it could be a few things:
when she lived with her mother and stepfather, they underfed her. or the stress of being a teenager and dealing with all of that family drama. maybe she is so shaken up from that living experience that she doesn't want to eat. i would get her into some therapy because it can help her get her feelings out about the situation, and also you talk to her. and casually offer to make her some breakfast or lunch one day.

sorry to hear about your troubles, and well done to you for taking on the responsibility of 3 teenagers.
your daughters weight loss is probably due to the trauma of her situation. she could be feeling down in herself and her self-esteem must be very low. she might feel this is the only way she can control her situation; her appearance. ask yourself if she is purposely losing weight or is it a result of stress?
you should consult a therapist before her weight loss gets out of hand.
good luck