Bulimic student claims doctor told her she 'wasn't thin enough' for eating disorder
A bulimic student who sought help for an eating disorder claims her doctor laughed in her face and insisted she was ‘not thin enough’ to have the illness.
Nikki Strong had struggled with an eating disorder for the past eight years but said she had always felt ‘too guilty and ashamed’ to seek help.
But earlier this year, the 22-year-old, from Saratoga in New South Wales, reached out to her usual doctor for help as her bulimia intensified.
But Nikki, who wears a dress size 8 to 10, claims she was left horrified after her GP allegedly laughed in her face when she told him the reason for her visit.
She also claims the doctor – who she had been seeing for three years – examined her body before telling he she did not look like she had an eating disorder because she was ‘not too slim’.
Nikki, who is currently studying for a master’s degree in counselling, said she had noticed some “red flags” and knew she needed further help.
“I went to my doctor knowing what I needed. He is my regular doctor and I’d gone to him before about anxiety without any issues,” she said.
“I went into the appointment and was called into his office. He asked me what I was here for, and I said I need a mental health plan.
“He said that’s fine and started typing on the computer. Then he asked me what the mental health plan was for and whether I was okay.
“I revealed to him that for the past eight years I’d been struggling with an eating disorder and that I could feel myself slipping into a really dark place. I explained that I wanted to get help before things got worse.
“As soon as I said it, he started laughing like I’d just told him a joke that he thought was hilarious.
“He said ‘you don’t look like you have an eating disorder!’ He then pointed at my body and said, ‘you’re not too big, but you’re not too slim either’.
“My heart just sank. I felt so ashamed of myself as I knew I was not underweight.
“I became so acutely aware of my body and I felt enormously fat in that moment. I felt like a complete failure, like I couldn’t even get my eating disorder right.
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“I knew that what he was saying was wrong, but in that moment, I just felt helpless and couldn’t bring myself to say anything.
“I just shut down, answered the questions that I had to answer, got my mental health plan and got out of there.
“As soon as I left his office I burst into tears. It was horrible.”
Ordeal only made her disorder worse
Nikki said the traumatising ordeal exacerbated her eating disorder and revealed that for a split-second she considered trying to become underweight so that her doctor would take her concerns seriously.
But thankfully, the young woman came to her senses and instead called her psychologist to tell her about what had happened – who Nikki said was ‘appalled’ at her alleged doctor’s actions.
“She told me that for him to even make a comment about my weight was completely inappropriate,” Nikki said.
“She backed me up 100 per cent, which really helped after what had happened.”
Nikki said she has since moved past the incident and is currently in the process of undergoing a mental health assessment to get help for her eating disorder – but asserted that she would not go back to that doctor.
The brave young woman also posted about the harrowing experience on her popular Instagram page where it racked up over 20,000 likes – and said it was full of comments from people who had experienced the same thing.
“Any doctor who encounters a patient with an eating disorder needs to make them feel heard, understood and validated,” she said.
“I’m still very much struggling, but I haven’t let this experience derail me.
“I know that with the proper help I can beat this and I’m feeling positive for the future.”
If you are struggling with an eating disorder, visit www.reachout.com or www.thebutterflyfoundation.org.au.
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