Anorexia Nervosa

I have been undecided about writing this review for some time. Why? Because it is not me that has been through it.......although I may have contributed to it......and it is not your "typical" case of an eating disorder that I am writing about. Or is it? Because I don't believe that there is anything such as "typical" about anorexia, bulimia, or indeed any form of eating disorder. And that is the reason I chose to write this review in the end - because someone might identify with it, and be able to nip a problem in the bud. I have been on and off diets since the age of 15 - I don't have an eating disorder, as such, but I am an ...  Read the complete review

Ok, now this should be a fun review to do (sarcasm at its best), but there's several reasons why I've chosen this topic. Firstly because I keep looking at it and thinking I should but never quite plucking up the courage...secondly because I think I can have something useful to say because I've been there...some would say still am there...and thirdly because it's a controversial topic...and I've always liked controversial topics... There are also several reasons for why I've been avoiding this topic...and possibly the most major is the fact that I've got to 'know' and 'like' a fair few members on this site...and the last thing I want to do is scare them ...  Read the complete review

I first became obviously anorexic at the age of 14, towards the beginning of the year. By October I had been hospitalised, in an isolation cell of the psychatric wing of Groote Schuur Hospital, Cape Town. I finally left the hospital four and a half months later, but it took me another five or so years to recover from my eating disorder. Firstly, to clarify one widespreead misconception: Anorexia is not about weight loss. It is about a much deeper, underlying emotional distress, which happens to manifest in obsessive weight loss, just as it could have manifested in, for example, drug addiction, obesity or suicide. Secondly, an anorexic is no more in ...  Read the complete review

*****The Update 2009***** I can't believe that 8 years on I've come back to this review. There have been a great many changes in my life since 2001 when I first wrote this. I trained and qualified as a chef in 2003 and am now a PA for a large company and love my life. The anorexia has taken a back seat for a long time now, the feelings still raise their head every now and then, but I've learnt to shut them off very quickly now. I have a child who's now 5, I'm single again and I recently came out. Seems there were lots of inner battles going on that I wasn't aware of back then. I really only wanted to update this to give some hope to anyone who ...  Read the complete review

Anorexia is a severe psychological condition, usually leading to dangerous weight loss and self-destruction. Having suffered with the condition myself, I think I can give a good, informative account of this psychological disease. Most people have heard of this condition but it is commonly misinterpreted as just being severe weight loss; many people don't realise the psychological extent of the condition. Anorexia nervosa, the full name of the condition, means 'nervous loss of appetite'. Sufferers usually experience distorted feelings about their body image. Even when an individual is near to death, they will often still see fat when they stand in front of ...  Read the complete review