All these kids use their illness as an excuse for their behavior - and some of the time they can get away with it. I think we should let them be "sick" if they really need to stay home and curl up and sleep on the couch - or "sick" if they are anxious and can't handle a public activity.....I see no point to force these kids into something that is painful or humiliating for them. But - and here's the big one...at no time can they use their illness for ant-social or violent behavior...the sooner that they learn that they must control their "rages" and their aggressive impulses the better. What the parents of younger children may not want to realize is that sooner or later their child will act out in a way that attracts the attention of authorities. The police will not be kind or forgiving about a "sick" child. It may be hard for them but sooner or later they have to go out into the world alone and no one is going to be very understanding about their lack of control - I wonder how many of our children will wind up in jail? I know of several occasions where April should have been arrested and managed to get "lucky".
Sorry I only have warnings and no solutions - also I agree that the weight gain is awful - they wind up having to survive two social stigmas - mental illness and obesity...no wonder they go looking for ways to feel happy.