Treatment for Hamish

Eating disorders are a brain-based biological illness and have the highest mortality rate of all psychiatric illnesses. They happen to children, men and boys too. They are not about vanity or control.

It has been a year since 10 year-old Hamish became ill. He wasn’t eating well, he was worrying about food and health. He was irritable, sad and upset and had constant tummy pains and throat pain following a choking incident.

Hamish was losing weight and losing interest in his life, school and his friends.

After extensive doctors visits, paediatricians and specialists and being turned away time after time, his Mum, Renee, took him to the hospital one night.

She refused to leave until a cause was found.

Hamish went through a raft of testing including endoscopy at Starship. There was no physical reason found for Hamish’s inability to eat and his extreme weight loss. He woke from a general anaesthetic and completely shut down, he could not eat or drink, or swallow his own saliva, he became medically unstable, could not walk and was finally diagnosed with the eating disorder Anorexia. Over the coming months he would be re-diagnosed EDNOS, and finally ARFID.

Hamish was fed by nasogastric tube and had a further stay in hospital to stabilise his physical health.

Lack of training and understanding amongst doctors and physicians means eating disorders often go undiagnosed until there is extreme weight loss and they are often well entrenched. If any of the medical professionals the family saw had suspected an eating disorder, they did not say. It took months to get to this point and by this time, Hamish was extremely unwell and in physical and mental danger.

He had lost over a ¼ of his body weight and was very very ill. He was cold, pale, his skin dry and scaly.

Hamish and his Mum were discharged home. The family assumed they would simply find the ongoing support they needed through their local DHB.

They began therapy with a great Mental Health Nurse specialist who helped a lot through the early months - even though she had never had a patient as young as Hamish and was struggling herself with this situation.

Sadly they also found a health system abyssmally lacking in resources and suitably trained clinicians, they found brick walls and little support. They found they were quite alone.

The supportive Nurse left her job and moved, this left the family with no trained ED clinician in their rural area, half way through a course of treatment.

They sought help, hoping to be referred to Auckland, hoping for an appropriate ED clinician.

But they were told this was not an option at this time. They were urged to find experienced professional treatment - privately - for Hamish's life threatening condition.

The public health system, especially for child mental health is overloaded and underfunded and their location inhibits access to the best available.

This was an eye opening and terrifying experience for the family of four. They have had to search far and wide to find out and understand this condition and find the right kind of treatment options, and access to it, or lack thereof.

After a year of intense financial burden, lost earnings and emotional turmoil this very tired and tested family have finally found a suitably trained and experienced clinician. With her help Hamish's recovery is showing some promise, with a refined and more suitable treatment plan. Hamish has recently returned to school part time after missing most of last year.

However there is a long way to go and still the potential need to look overseas for specialised treatment options.

Current treatment involves a trip to Auckland weekly from Whangarei, for as long as it takes. There is no funding from Ministry Of Health or DHBs for costs, as they are now deemed void of the public health system.

They are on their own.

Hamish’s Mum, Renee, can no longer work or study. Re-feeding Hamish and managing his anxiety is a full time job. His Dad, Hugh, has to take time off to help with this process, which only makes finances and stress levels worse.

Everyone is feeling isolated and scared. Recovery is not easy or linear, they watch the ups and downs of this illness, all the while treatment continues.

There are barriers worldwide related to mental health stigma, lack of understanding, lack of resources, lack of treatment, untrained clinicians.

Hamish and his family are facing all this and more.

Please show support to this loving, hard working family as they continue on this difficult journey to save Hamish and see him fully recover.

Funds will be used for ongoing weekly treatment costs, travel and expenses related to his illness. To lighten the financial stress load and to open up the possibility of offshore treatment options.

Eating Disorder Support NZ 0800 2 EDANZ info@ed.org.nz