Programme 1
I’m different
The first programme covers the physical differences that four children experience. Giorgina weighs up the advantages and disadvantages of being exceptionally tall for her age. Sam has a speech impediment and has worked hard to achieve in spite of this. Melissa suffers from spasmodic psoriasis and shows the treatment needed to control it, and James discusses his ‘accident-prone’ existence, which has coloured his sporting interests. All have come to term with their varying slight disabilities following, it would seem, considerable teasing.

Programme 2
My family’s different
Programme 2 shows four children in varying family situations. Rebecca is adopted and talks openly and refreshingly about her birth family and her much loved new adopted ‘mum’. Eileen and Bridget wittingly demonstrate the fun of being identical twins and give quite a zany performance! Alice’s mother has a high-powered job and her father has chosen to be a househusband and look after Alice. She is proud of the close relationship she has with him. Jonathan Butters comes from a family with an unusual name of which he is proud although it is clear he has received considerable teasing.

Programme 3
My lifestyle’s different
Programme 3 shows four children living in differing environments – physical, emotional, spiritual and cultural. Anna is part of a large Greek family who live and work together in the Midlands, in a happy bustling environment with a strong individual culture. Becki finds it difficult to organize sharing herself between her divorced parents, as well as fitting in her own friendships and school life. Kerry has a particularly difficult life in a home where she is the sole carer of a sick mother and two demanding but very much-loved younger brothers, and is thus leading a very different life from most of her peers. Ben is very proud of the fact that his home is a beautiful barge.

Programme 4
My interests are different
This programme shows four children with unusual personal interests. Richard is exceptionally studious and clever and has had to do a little self-examination after some quite serious bullying. He has altered his lifestyle slightly and as a consequence now has friends and is a happier person. Rachel is a committed Christian who does not understand why her friends find her different. She is positive, cheerful, out-going and seems to have absorbed her beliefs into her lifestyle, both inside and outside the church, very happily. Bobby has moved from Scotland to England and has found the adaptation tough – not only because of very different environments but particularly because his interests and skills in art are outstanding but very individualistic – but now he has made a particularly good friend and feels his life is okay. Daniel is the ‘Billy Elliot’ of his community and, although determined to follow a dancing career, has received much bullying along the way. He still has difficulties but is learning how to deal with them in a more positive way.

Programme 5
Anorexia
Pippa talks about her ‘year and a half long struggle with anorexia nervosa’. She knew she wanted to be thinner than she was and began bringing food home from her packed lunch and doing lots more sport. Although many people, including her parents, thought she was looking ill, Pippa ‘still didn’t think she had a problem’. Denial plays a large part in any eating disorder. Eventually, after a trip to her GP, Pippa went to a couple of counselling sessions but she was ‘very guarded in what she told him’. She didn’t want to let anyone close to her, because they might see that there was something wrong. Unless the person with the eating disorder wants to recover and connects with their therapist, there may be difficulty in moving forward and overcoming the illness. Pippa continued in her ‘spiralling downhill world of food and calories’ and began losing interest in life. Even at her lowest weight, Pippa still perceived herself as fat because the body image she saw in the mirror was distorted by her mind. When she was taken into hospital for emergency treatment Pippa was visited by many friends and family and she found it hard to believe that they all cared. This highlights the immense lack of self-esteem felt by all people with an eating disorder. Eventually after a lot of hard work, therapy and support from her family, Pippa is on the road to recovery. She sums up the situation beautifully when she says that people ‘think it’s all about food and weight which it isn’t by a long chalk. It’s about feelings inside, things that people have said and … a lot of different things that all contribute’.

Background Information to Programme 5: Anorexia

What is an Eating Disorder?
Eating disorders develop as outward signs of inner emotional or psychological problems. They become the way that people cope with difficulties in their life. Eating, or not eating, is used to help block out painful feelings. Anyone can develop an eating disorder, regardless of sex, age, race or background. However, young women are most vulnerable, particularly between the ages of 15 and 25.

Research suggests that a person’s genetic make up may make them more likely to develop an eating disorder. As well as through biological reasons, a relative may adversely influence other family members through their attitude to food. In situations where there are high academic expectations or social pressures, a person may focus on food and eating as a way of coping with these stresses. Other triggers include: bullying, teasing about weight or shape, bereavement, abuse, upheaval in the family (eg divorce), long-term illness, disability or concerns about sexuality.

Anorexia Nervosa means ‘loss of appetite for nervous reasons’. However this is misleading because the person has actually lost the ability to allow themselves to satisfy their appetite and actively resist and override feelings of hunger. They restrict the amount they eat and drink, sometimes to a dangerous level. They focus on food in an attempt to cope with life, rather than to starve to death. It is a way of demonstrating that they are in control of their body, weight and shape, and can give a feeling of empowerment. Ultimately, however, the illness itself takes control and the chemical changes in the body affect the brain and distort thinking, making it impossible for the person to make rational decisions about food. As many as 13% to 18% of sufferers will die from anorexia as a result of the effects of starvation or suicide, if they do not receive appropriate treatment and care.

Bulimia Nervosa means literally ‘the hunger of an ox’. The hunger, however, is an emotional need that cannot be satisfied by food alone. After binge eating a large quantity of food to fill the hunger gap, the person will immediately rid themselves of the food they have consumed by vomiting or taking laxatives (or both), or they will work off the calories with exercise. This is an attempt to prevent weight gain.

Binge Eating Disorder (B.E.D.) is similar to Bulimia nervosa, but people with B.E.D. do not, or cannot purge themselves after eating. People with B.E.D. may be above normal weight. Many people with bulimia or binge-eating disorder have also been through a period of anorexia - the distinction between the three illnesses is not always clear.

Treatment and Recovery
Eating disorders are serious illnesses and generally require specialist medical care, not only for the physical problems but also for the psychological difficulties that have caused such unhappiness and trauma. However, the person must want to get better before help can be really effective. People with eating disorders often have mixed feelings about ‘giving up’ their illness. This is because their eating habits have become a way of coping with their profound emotional difficulties.

For more information please refer to the Eating Disorder Association’s extensive website at www.edauk.com