I’M WORRIED ABOUT MY MOM

Q I’m extremely worried about my mother. She’s getting very thin and has lost her appetite and energy. When I talk to her about it and urge her to go to the doctor she says there’s nothing wrong.

She divorced my dad a long time ago and it’s just us and my brother in the house. She has a good job and earns a decent salary and we don’t live outside her budget so she doesn’t have money problems. We live in a safe neighbourhood where people are friendly, and my brother and I do well at school, so she also doesn’t have to worry about that.

She doesn’t have anyone she can confide in. What can I do? Sarah, email

A People don’t simply lose a lot of weight if everything in their life is fine. It’s possible that your mother is depressed or may have worries she’s not sharing with you. It’s also possible that there’s something physically wrong with her which is causing abnormal weight loss. She may not even want to admit this to herself.

Have a serious talk with her. Tell her you’re concerned and that you and your brother still need her as a parent and want her in your lives for many years. Ask her to go for a thorough medical check-up – if not for her sake, then for yours. Perhaps the doctor may even be able to ascertain if there’s something wrong psychologically.

It may also be that your mom knows what’s wrong but doesn’t want to discuss it because she doesn’t want you to worry. Tell her you’d rather know and deal with it than be in the dark.

If nothing changes, try to ask one of her colleagues or a friend at work to address the problem with your mother.