I’m sixteen and I was anorexic last year and had to go to the hospital for a total of six weeks, and my it cost my parents tens of thousands of dollars and now they make me work at my dad’s restaurant for 4 hours a day 5 days a week and 10 hours on Saturday and at least 5 hours on Sunday to pay them back for the hospital bills, but it’s extremely hard because I also have school and homework every single night but am so drained from work that I barely have the energy to do it. It’s extremely stressful for me because I’m a perfectionist so I only get a few hours of sleep per night since I’m always in extreme tiredness by time I can start on my homework. Also the job is stressful for me because I’m shy and get really drained talking to people and am still very physically weak from the anorexia and I’m still calorie obsessed so I barely have any energy to go anyway. I’m really depressed and hate living and I want to talk to someone to make my parents stop overworking me but I’m scared they’ll either take me away from home or charge money or put me back into eating disorder treatment.

What can I do?

You have been through enough. Anorexia is a serious condition and the more stress they put on you the most likely you will relapse. You need to tell some one. You can’t work like that every day you need some time to relax. school is hard enough. Not only that but you are not 18 therefore you are not responsible for the bills. Do they have insurance for the hospital? Tell them you will work 20 hours a week if they want you to be able to finish school. Are you getting any money for this? there are child labor laws.