Losing weight
February 20, 2011 | 15,00 EUR | answered by Uni-Arzt Freddy Feuerstein
Hello
For about three and a half months I have been losing weight by counting calories and eating less and more consciously.
Due to physical problems, a blood test was done at the beginning of February, and all the values were completely normal.
My family doctor reduced the Sertraline because he assumed that my symptoms were caused by it. In 2 weeks, I will stop taking the medication altogether because I no longer need it.
Due to ongoing weight loss, my family doctor sent me to a psychiatrist in December 2010. I have now had 4 consultations with him, but I stopped therapy this week because it is not helping me. The psychiatrist only listens and does not give me any feedback or tips, etc.
The only thing he said this week was that if I continue to lose weight rapidly, I will have to go to therapy for eating disorders, i.e. if my BMI falls below 18.
I currently weigh 59kg and am 1.69m tall, 30 years old, and female.
I want to lose another 5 to 8 kg, which would still be completely okay according to my BMI, right?
I am not going to the psychiatrist anymore.
Does my family doctor have the right to force me into treatment if I do not want it? Does he have the right to weigh me every time I have a consultation with him?
It seems to me that both privately and the doctors assume that I have an eating disorder, but I just want to become slim.
Kind regards and thank you in advance for a response.
Dear advice seeker,
1. It is unfortunate that you have such a poor relationship with your psychiatrist or general practitioner.
2. You currently have a BMI of 20.7 kg/m2, which puts you in a healthy range. You are aiming for an even lower BMI to be slim, which is not easily understandable, as you are already considered very thin compared to the average population. It is assumed that you have an eating disorder since you are striving for further weight reduction. The question is, what was your starting weight?
3. Have you experienced any psychological stress in the past six months related to being a woman? Have you gone through a breakup? For some reason, your general practitioner must have referred you to a psychiatrist.
4. Congratulations on successfully achieving weight loss through a more conscious diet. Now the question seems to be whether your body perception is accurate. Millions of other Germans try to lose weight this way and never succeed ;-) At a certain point, and regardless of BMI, which is not decisive, one must be careful not to slide into the pathological.
5. You were prescribed Sertraline, for what reason? Did you suffer from a depressive episode?
6. Regarding your question about involuntary commitment. In German law, "involuntary commitment" is only permissible for two reasons:
-1. Danger to others
-2. Danger to oneself
It is unlikely that there is a risk of danger to others from you, so forget about that point. One could argue that there is a risk of danger to yourself, but typically you would not need psychiatric treatment for that, but rather psychosomatic or psychotherapeutic treatment. Therefore, being involuntarily committed against your will is highly unlikely, unless you still suffer from psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia or have suicidal thoughts. Depressed individuals, even if their BMI falls below 18 and they are considered anorexic, are generally not involuntarily committed.
I wish you all the best, and if you have any more specific questions, feel free to ask again. Have a lovely Sunday afternoon.
Warm regards,
Torben C. Müller
