Gifts for a teenage Anorexic Girl?

Question

There is a friend of mine, who has recently been distant from our group of friends. she has been in and out of depression, is a horrible cutter, and anorexic.
she's under the impression that she's not good enough and that no one cares about her.
Us, as her former friends, want to all pitch in and buy her a christmas present, reminding her that she is loved and that people do care about her, and most importantly that she is a daughter of the King, and is loved deeply by Him.
we know she needs help, and so do her parents, and they're working on it, we just would like to get her a little something to get her through the holidays, but we're not sure what would be appropriate.

any ideas?
thanks!

Answer 1

How about a collage of pictures of all of you friends and her? You can even frame it for her to hang in her room. This would be great to remind her of the good old times and how you guys still care about her very much.

Answer 2

To add to some of the other responses, a lot of it (though not all cases) stem from body dysmorphic disorder. Basically what that is, is where they will look at their skinny bodies and still think they're too fat. The interesting thing about this is that, if they look at a friend or someone else that is their size or even a bit larger, they won't think that person is fat. It's a case of being your own worst enemy. And just like most girls don't consciously think "yeah, today I'm going to try to become anorexic" (though it appears that a lot of them do on Xanga, they do it for attention, whether or not they actually are living the lifestyle or just saying that they are), they don't suddenly have this unfortunate view of themselves until after they've been dieting for a while. Like someone else said, they get it into their head that, if losing a little is good then losing a lot must be even better, and they just start the downward spiral from there. It's not always about wanting to lose weight, some people do it for the control issue. They feel they can't control anything else (which is a common theme in adolescent girls), so they want to control their bodies and the pain they inflict on it. It's not that different from cutting when it's taken in that sense. Some girls do it for attention, just like there are girls that get pregnant and that act bulimic or claim they've been abused for the sole purpose of getting attention, but they are definitely not the norm.

Answer 3

I understand your concern for a dear, old friend. In this particular case I would recommend something that can bring her out of her depressed mood whenever she looks at it, something that does not fade or grow old, something she can put in a place where she can always take a quick glance whenever she feels downcast. And that is nothing other than a “living” portrait of your love and care for her. Try turning one of your most hilarious group photos, for instance, into a classical painting! That can be done by the gifted and professional painters from http://www.paintyourlife.com. It is worth checking out, and I guarantee you will not regret.

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Answer 4

anything that would make you happy would make her happy.

Go shopping anywhere, and forget she's anorexic. That has nothing to do with it.

Anyways, I suggest hand made things. Cookies, bead bracelets, creative sweets. It's made with love, and I think that's what she really needs right now.

Answer 5

a scrap book of places she has been and all her friends and family can be cool like decorate the cover make it colorful and whatnot, or an i-pod with pictures of all friends and family

Answer 6

you should take her out to eat, but make sure its vegetarian food, and tell her its good for her, and woudnt make her fat at all, its gives her proteins to be strong

Answer 7

get a sandwich.