Have people told horror stories about eating disorders?

In this blog post, we shall answer the question “have people told horror stories about eating disorders?” and look at what eating disorders are and their types. We shall also look at three horror stories people have told about their eating disorders.

Have people told horror stories about eating disorders?

Yes, people have told horror stories about eating disorders. Many people recovering from eating disorders have opened up about the embarrassing and terrifying things they have done due to their eating disorders. Some stories include the treatment process and how their triggers led to unacceptable behaviour.

Some people have described eating disorders as little voices in their heads that control their thoughts and eating patterns. Some see them as friends and even give them a name. Before we go through some eating disorder horror stories, let us look at what eating disorders are and the effects they have on our bodies.

What is the importance of telling stories about eating disorders?

Helps to connect with people going through the same

While eating disorders thrive in isolation, recovery thrives in a community. Opening up and talking about your struggles and experience with eating disorders will help you connect with other people who relate with your story. Being in a community/ group where people understand what you are feeling and going through cannot be compared to the support given by family and friends.

People who come together with a similar goal of recovery, go a long way in supporting and advising each other even when one relapses.

Creates awareness

Many people still have no idea how serious eating disorders are and instead judge and stigmatize those afflicted. Many families have no knowledge on how to help an afflicted member and end up making the situation worse. Personal stories aids in awareness of risk factors, symptoms, coping strategies and prevention methods.

It also demystifies the myths and misconceptions surrounding eating disorders. The stories  help people to understand that eating disorders can affect people of all ages, gender, races,professions and socioeconomic backgrounds.

It strengthens your recovery

Sharing your story helps you reclaim your power. Telling the story yourself helps you come out of shame and secrecy and gives you the power to face the eating disorder. You have the power to tell the story how, when and why to tell your story.

Telling it also helps to amplify your values and goals for your recovery. It helps you commit yourself to your own words as you encourage others.

Spread hope

Your story is an encouragement and proof that recovery is possible. Some people feel desperate and hopeless about treatment. Recovery can be a gruesome and difficult journey and a story of success acts as motivation that if others can do it, they can too.

So, tell your story with pride knowing that you could be the reason other people want to be better.

It normalizes talks about eating disorder

Talking about eating disorders and any other mental illness for that matter can be challenging due to the stigma surrounding mental illnesses. Raising you voice and speaking about your struggles helps other come out with no shame and fear of being judged. You story has the power to reduce stigmatization and instead, raise more awareness of the conditions.

It is important to also use this platform to educate you on what eating disorders are and the most common types.

Eating disorders

Eating disorders are a range of psychological disorders that are characterized by abnormal eating habits that have a serious negative impact on one’s life and make one unable to function in simple areas of one’s life. Most eating disorders focus on one being preoccupied with their weight, diet and body shape. These lead to dangerous eating habits that impact the body’s ability to get appropriate nutrition.

Eating disorders mostly develop in teens and young disorders but can also develop at other ages. They are also very common among women as compared to men. The major eating disorders include:

• Anorexia nervosa
• Bulimia nervosa
• Binge eating
• restrictive/avoidant food intake disorder
• Rumination

3 horror stories told about eating disorders

The following stories are real accounts of people with eating disorders and what they went through on their journey of recovery. 

Eating disorder stories: the one about the curry by Lara Maier

Ahhh – my eating disorder horror stories bring back so many memories. My family was never sure of what to expect each morning, as I came creeping out of my bedroom.

Would a positivity fairy come walking out today?

Or a snake ready to attack? A sassy lioness with attitude for every person (and object) in sight?

Or a sad, confused girl with no fight left to give?

Having a mental illness is hard fucking work. Living with someone with a mental illness can be just as hard. Along with my family, I never knew what to expect of myself when I woke up. I never knew what mood I’d find myself in.

After some time, I learned to just not expect any more.

Having a mental illness is hard fucking work. Living with someone with a mental illness can be just as hard. Having an eating disorder is like sitting on a roller coaster. It can make you feel like it’s fun, but it’s really bloody scary when you think about it. You’re 50 feet high and you can’t just jump back down to the ground you know.

Some days are good. Some days are not so good. Some days I don’t remember, because they’re easier to forget. There are moments I won’t ever forget though.

My eating disorder horror stories are admittedly amusing to look back on now. Amusing, but frightening, all the same, to see how little control I had over my eating disorder. I felt like I was in control and like I was winning. I was far from it.

I have a lot to share about my time with an eating disorder. The mood swings are just one rather ordinary aspect of having an eating disorder. I know most people go through intense mood swings, eating disorders or not. So I’ll share some more cringe-worthy eating disorder stories with you.

One of my best friends in high school had an eating disorder from SPOON university

I transferred to my high school in junior year, and we became good friends through basketball. I knew she had an eating disorder but I never really experienced it. One time at a basketball game, I looked over at her hands, and there on her arm, she had carved the word “fat.” I prayed it was just Sharpie, but it was a cut. That was my first real experience with an eating disorder.

Later on in the year, she began to open up to me about her eating disorder, and there were times when we’d hang out all day, not eat lunch, and then she’d make me lie to her parents about where we ate. I knew it was wrong, and I knew I didn’t want to lose her, but I wanted to be there for her to rely on. Eventually, things got so bad, that one day she just didn’t show up to school. A day turned into a week, which into a month. I texted her but didn’t hear from her until one day she told me she was back at rehab. It was really good for her, but she missed her senior soccer game, prom and graduation.

She’s still kicking it, but it’s not something she’ll overcome any time soon. Though we both went our separate ways after high school, I still think about her and check in with her every now and again. It was hard for me to think about—that I had lied to her parents when she really needed my help, but even now, though we haven’t talked in months, she seems to be back on the right track.

Jaclyn Munson story from BuzzFeed News

As a 12-year-old with full-blown anorexia, I was involuntarily institutionalized after having an eating disorder–induced seizure. The institution was not equipped to deal with eating disorders, and their only plan of action was to watch me eat, shower, and sleep to ensure I didn’t throw up, exercise, or throw my food away. I was treated less like a medical patient and more like a criminal, unable to privately mourn the loss of my innocence and adolescence.

This was my first insight into how our health care system is unprepared to treat eating disorder survivors, a travesty compounded by society’s rigid physical ideals for women. Survivors could best be served by the development of new treatment options targeted at modifying harmful behaviours and by eroding patriarchal visions of the female body. Instead, we are treated like social outliers who are shamed and told we have taken things too far. Denying the existence of sexism is a historically convenient method of the ignorant, and to tell an eating disorder survivor that our plight is of self-creation is to validate the disproportionate and unrealistic physical expectations for women that have permeated every aspect of society.

I will never forget the first time I saw my own reflection without wanting to see less of it. It took years for me to regain control of my life and body, both of which deserved respect and love after having spent years as a battleground. Sharing my story was the first step toward total recovery and remains my personal form of resistance. By speaking out, we can reduce the shame and stigma associated with eating disorders and give courage to millions of survivors.

Conclusion

We hope that this blog post has provided you with information on what eating disorders are and the types of eating disorders. We have also looked at the warning signs and complications of eating disorders. Finally, we have looked at three stories that people have given on the struggles they went through with eating disorders and the treatment process.

If you have any questions or comments, please let us know in the comment section below.

Frequently asked questions: Have people told horror stories about eating disorders?

What are three examples of disordered eating behaviours?

• Chronic weight fluctuations
• Feelings of guilt and shame associated with eating
• Having anxiety associated with specific foods or meal skipping
• Frequent dieting
• Isolation from others when eating

What are the three warning signs of anorexia?

• You complain a lot about benign fat
• Pretending not to be hungry when you really are
• Constantly worrying about dieting, weight and calories
• Having a strict and excessive exercise routine

What does ANAD stand for?

The National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders. It is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to the prevention and alleviation of eating disorders. It was formed in 1976.

What can mimic anorexia nervosa?

• Bulimia
• Body dysmorphic disorder
• Anxiety disorder
• Achalasia
• Celiac disease

Citations

Maier L. Eating disorder stories: the one about the curry. Retrieved from https://www.urevolution.com/blogs/magazine/my-eating-disorder-stories-horror

Narian T. The Unfiltered Stories of Struggling Through an Eating Disorder: Part II. Retrieved from https://spoonuniversity.com/lifestyle/unfiltered-stories-struggling-eating-disorder-part-ii

Eating disorders victoria, stories of recovery. Retrieved from https://www.eatingdisorders.org.au/story/young-professional-male-and-living-with-an-eating-disorder/