[Anonymous]

does anyone know if you tell your teacher you have an eating disorder would they then have to ring your parents?
If you were 15?
Just wondering

[Vulpix]

I don't think they can, a few girls at my school had the same problem- the teacher didn't say anything, but persuaded them to say something themselves instead

[sdt]

Nope unless you are somehow likely to kill or seriously injure a human being with this eating disordder

[Sikthchick]

no normally as said before they will encourage you to talk to someone but if it is increasingly clear that you are seriously at risk then they do have an obligation to tell your parents.

[Kay.Tey]

How about talking to the school counsellor?

And well done if it is you and you have the courage to speak up, you should be proud of yourself

[icedsarcasm]

They can. Sorry, but the truth of the matter is that they can tell your parents if they think that's the best thing to do. They don't have to (legally), but it often depends on your school's policy, and also how much your teacher is willing to stray from that!

For the most part, however, if you were getting help already (like seeing a counsellor or going to see your GP), and you explained that it wouldn't help you for your parents to know, they'd probably be willing to keep it to themselves.

I know everyone gets quite het up when teachers don't keep these things confidential, but the thing is, it's not fair for them to be the only person in possession of the information. They're not trained healthcare professionals, they can't judge how dangerous a problem is. So they'll often want someone else to know, for your safety as much as anything else. "Someone else" doesn't have to be your parents, though, a counsellor, GP etc normally suffices.

[kiss__this_x]

If you see the school nurse or counsellor, they will be bound to the same confidentiality laws as GP's are. With teachers, go to a one you trust.


GP's can only tell the parents if they believe that the patient is at serious risk of hurting themselves or others. By "hurting" I mean extreme situations and not "hurting" with an eating disorder.