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If you or someone you know is suffering from anorexia, get help immediately.
Contact a physician or clinic to get professional help before serious, permanent health problems occur.
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| A 24-Year Old Woman's Battle with Anorexia |
On 13 August 2004, we received the following story from a visitor concerning her battle with anorexia. Please contact us immediately with your questions or comments.
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"I was surfing the web and happened to come across your site.
I am a 24 year-old woman who has been struggling with anorexia for the past ten years. Over the course of that time, my weight and eating have been better and worse; regardless of my behavior, unfortunately, my mind has never been at peace. It has been a long and arduous journey, full of guilt and shame and self-blame, but also full of discovery and growth. For me, anorexia -- both its origins and its treatment-- have been about much more than weight and food.
Consuming and taking up space, the fear that my presence alone will be harmful to others, guilt over having so much when others have so little, the sense that I have done nothing to earn my keep: These are some of the conflicts that have fueled my disease (or as my psychiatrist pronounces it, dis-ease.).
I guess that many people who have anorexia are in middle and high school and that many of these individuals can recover within months (or even years) of diagnosis...But I am not one of them. I read some of the stories on your website, and while I felt touched by them, I also felt somewhat excluded and left behind. I'm not hoping that you'll publish my story-- it's not very inspiring and I'm still in the midst of things (and it's not much of a story!)-- but I was hoping that you might post something written by a slightly older man or woman who has had a longer struggle with anorexia...perhaps a story that focuses more on the person's internal dynamics and less on what is on his/her plate and scale.
I also wanted to tell you how much I appreciate your site. The open letter from the editor definitely struck a chord with me. I was grateful that he/she wrote that anorexia is not a choice: That statement gave me permission to let go of some of the guilt and anger I feel about what I've done to myself and to my family and friends. I was also glad to see it written that love and support matter. Acceptance and love from my family and friends have made all the difference for me: They've helped me believe I might be someone worth taking care of... And finally, I'm really grateful that you (whoever you are!) took the time to read this e-mail."
Editor's Comment: We thank this young woman for sharing her heartfelt story with our readers.
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