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Would you send a foreign exchange student home for bulimia?
After a couple of weeks it became obvious that our 19 year old exchange student was inducing vomiting after meals on a regular basis. I was worried sick about doing the right thing. Not being the parent, but perhaps being able to get help for the child weighed heavily on my mind. Would you have sent the student home or tried to help?
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October 14, 2009 01:03 PM
http://www.womenshealth.gov/FAQ/bulimia-nervosa.cfm
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You should contact the parents immediately. Bulimia is a mental disease that requires treatment. It's often triggered by another type of mental issue or anxiety. All of these things need to be addressed by a health professional before your student causes himself real harm (or gets in too deep).
If the parents advise you to treat him like your own child, then the answer is to take him to see a therapist. Confront him gently and with assurance and compassion. But let him know that a condition of him staying and remaining part of your family is for him to get professional help. Hopefully he has health insurance that will cover the counseling and will just leave you or him responsible for the co-pay (which hopefully isn't too awful). The doctors treating him will likely prescribe an anti-depressant medication that will aid him in his recovery.
Would I send him home? Only if he refused treatment. He really does need help, soon.
Good luck!
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If the parents advise you to treat him like your own child, then the answer is to take him to see a therapist. Confront him gently and with assurance and compassion. But let him know that a condition of him staying and remaining part of your family is for him to get professional help. Hopefully he has health insurance that will cover the counseling and will just leave you or him responsible for the co-pay (which hopefully isn't too awful). The doctors treating him will likely prescribe an anti-depressant medication that will aid him in his recovery.
Would I send him home? Only if he refused treatment. He really does need help, soon.
Good luck!
http://www.womenshealth.gov/FAQ/bulimia-nervosa.cfm
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October 14, 2009 01:30 AM
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I'd have tried to help at first but contacted the parents and let them know as well. If they wanted their child sent home at that point I would do it. If they did allow the child to stay and my efforts to help failed I would eventually send them home anyway.
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October 14, 2009 01:30 AM
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I would deal with a bulimic foreign exchange student as I would deal with any other illness that they might have. I would approach the person and make it known that I am aware of his/her problem. I would offer my help without being judgmental. I would insist on getting a routine medical check up to insure that the bulimia has not started a progressive series of harmful effects on their body. If the student accepted medical and therapeutic treatment I would allow them to stay. If not, or if the side effects of bulimia are already advanced, for their health, I would send them home.
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October 14, 2009 03:49 AM
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Would you send the student home if he got pneumonia? Treat him the same way as you would if he contracted any other disease. What would you do if he got pneumonia?
You are not the student's parent, he is old enough to be treated as an adult. This question does not belong in parenting.
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You are not the student's parent, he is old enough to be treated as an adult. This question does not belong in parenting.
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October 14, 2009 04:10 AM
He was a senior in High school and I have had many conversations with his father who told me to treat him as if he were my son. If you've ever had a foreign exchange High school student you would know what I meant.
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October 14, 2009 07:22 AM
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You help by sending the student home.
You are wise that no matter your good intentions, this is not your child.
The burden of responsiblity legal and moral wise is on the parents.
You never know what type of liability you may be responsibilty for despite your good intentions.
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You are wise that no matter your good intentions, this is not your child.
The burden of responsiblity legal and moral wise is on the parents.
You never know what type of liability you may be responsibilty for despite your good intentions.
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