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Eating
disorders
Andrea's
story
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Contacts | Links
With about
90,000 people in the UK being treated for eating disorders and 41% of
nine-year-olds wanting to be thinner, it’s obvious that attitudes
to food and bodyweight have become distorted for many young people. Another
startling statistic is that 90% of British women will diet at some point.
Only 10% of women content with their body shape? Something must have gone
wrong somewhere!
The media
message: thin is best
Anorexia
nervosa was first described in 1669 and was recognised as a clinical condition
in 1873, to be joined by bulimia nervosa in 1979. But although eating
disorders have been around for a long time, the constant visual messages
on TV and in magazines and newspapers that thin is best only appeared
in the 20th century, accelerating towards its end. The generously rounded
forms of Edwardian beauties such as Lillie Langtry and even the size-16
shape of Marilyn Monroe, still one of the greatest Hollywood icons, would
be described as fat today. Modern female role-models are more likely to
be size 10, 8 or 6, and even the Sindy doll has lost 20% of her body size
since the 1960s. A 1998 survey of young women aged 18—24 found that
61% felt inadequate comparing themselves with the media image of beautiful
women and 22% were even reluctant to go out because they felt they didn’t
look good enough.
Anorexia
and bulimia are most likely to manifest themselves in girls and young
women between the ages of 15 and 25, though they have been reported in
seven-year-olds. Sometimes they are triggered by traumatic events such
as bereavement, parental divorce or abortion, but teenage girls who diet
even moderately are five times more likely to succumb to a serious eating
disorder.
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ANDREA'S
STORY
Andrea,
22, talked to VEE-TV about her anorexia, which began when she was
12. The problems stemmed from her move from her home in Liverpool
to Mary Hare Grammar School, which was chosen by her parents with
the best intentions. However, Andrea didn't want to move away from
home and may have felt rejected. She would be on the phone to them
every night, and as her primary form of communication is speech,
it also took her a while to adjust to the signing community at Mary
Hare.
Feeling
very homesick, Andrea became too frightened to go out and started
missing meals. Instead, she sneaked into the sick-unit kitchen for
toast or asked her friends to buy her chocolate when they were out.
Her weight decreased and her concentration was affected. She then
started to get depressed.
‘Losing
weight affects your feelings, emotions, confidence and independence,’
she says. But worse was to come. Andrea started going out occasionally
once again. She went to a café with her friends and a boy
was having a laugh and lifting her in the air. Suddenly he accidentally
dropped her onto the concrete floor. Andrea broke her coccyx and
was bed-ridden for three months, having to lie on her tummy. As
a result she lost more weight.
In
the fourth form, Andrea left Mary Hare and got a job. Her weight
increased slightly, though she was still unhappy. She went to counselling
but felt it wasn't doing her any good, and when she was 21 her weight
started to drop. By the age of 25 she weighed only 4 stone 11 pounds
and she had to give up work; some days she was unable even to lift
a pen or button her coat as she had lost feeling in her fingers.
Eventually
Andrea went to her doctor for help. By the following day he had
found her a place at Cheadle Health Care, near Manchester. Cheadle
is a residential clinic where people with alcohol and drug problems,
eating disorders and depression go for group therapy. For the first
two weeks, Andrea hated the place but she was determined to get
better. Art and drama therapy, special diets and keeping a diary
helped her improve both physically and mentally.
Andrea’s
relationship with her parents had deteriorated and for the first
few weeks she was at Cheadle she refused to take calls from them
or allow visits. ‘I spoke to my parents once on the phone and
broke down. Six weeks later I saw them for the first time and they
didn't recognise me! They kept touching me and asking "Is it
real?" I was so pleased,' she says.
After
eight weeks, Andrea went home. These days she has thrown away her
own scales and goes to the doctor every other week to be weighed.
Eating a healthy balanced diet and going to the gym has brought
her to 7 stone, but she would like to gain at least another half
a stone. The ideal weight for her height is 8 stone.
With
her eating disorder taking up so much of her life Andrea has never
had a boyfriend, but she would like to meet a man and start a family.
She is starting to look for a job, having been unemployed for four
years. Once frightened to go out, she now says her ideal job would
involve travel and she would love to work as an air hostess or on
a cruise ship.
If
you have an eating disorder, or someone you know has one, or you've
simply got something to say on the subject, you can start a discussion
or join one on the
message
board.
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CONTACTS
Eating
Disorders Association (EDA)
103 Prince of Wales Road
Norwich NR1 1DW
Helpline: 01603 621414 (Monday to Friday, 9am—6.30pm)
Youth Helpline: 01603 765050 (Monday to Friday, 4pm—6pm, for 18 and
under)
Fax: 01603 664 915
E-mail: info@edauk.com
Website: www.edauk.com
Support and mutual self-care to those suffering from anorexia and bulimia
nervosa and their families through phone helplines, a network of self-help
groups, information and newsletters.
British
Deaf Association Health and Counselling Services
9 Springfield Street
Warrington
Cheshire WA1 1BB
Voice: 01925 652520 (10am—4pm daily)
Textphone: 01925 652529 (10am—4pm daily and Wednesday 7—10pm)
Fax: 01925 652526
E-mail: bda6@dircon.co.uk
Website: www.bda.org.uk
General advisory helpline for information, advice and guidance. Also offer
health and counselling services throughout the UK.
British
Society for Mental Health and Deafness
High Trees
Springfield Hospital
61 Glenburnie Road
London SW17 7DJ
Voice: 020 8682 6991
Textphone: 020 8682 6950
Fax: 020 8682 6461
E-mail: ajohnson@swlstg-tr.nhs.uk
Contact for information on services and advice plus details of training
programmes for deaf and hearing people in mental health and deafness.
National
Deaf Mental Health Service
Denmark House
Queen Elizabeth Psychiatric Hospital
Mendelsohn Way
Edgbaston
Birmingham B15 2QZ
Service covers a third of the UK. Referrals are by GP or consultant psychiatrist
only.
Sign (National
Society for Mental Health and Deafness)
13 Station Road
Beaconsfield
Bucks HP9 1YP
Voice/text/: 01494 816 777
Fax: 01494 812 555
E-mail: info@signcharity.org.uk
Website: www.signcharity.org.uk
Head office for clubs based in London, Manchester, Leeds and Buckinghamshire.
Contact for information about services and campaigns.
Fellowship
of Depressives Anonymous
Box FDA
Self Help Nottingham
Ormiston House
32—36 Pelham Street
Nottingham NG1 2EG
Tel: 01702 433838
Fax: 01702 433843
E-mail: fdainfo@aol.com
Support for those suffering from depression on a self/mutual help basis.
Publishes a newsletter; runs a pen friend scheme and encourages the formation
of local groups.
The Mental
Health Foundation
London Office
9th Floor, Sea Containers House
20 Upper Ground
London SE1 9QB
Information: 020 7803 1100
Website: www.mentalhealth.org.uk
The website of the Mental Health Foundation outlines the charity's work in research, policy, service development and service user involvement. The site offers information and publications to download on research, good practice in services and on mental health problems and key issues.
It provides a daily mental health news service and directories of organisations, websites and events. Website visitors can use forums and bulletin boards, join a mailing list and find out how to support the organisation.
MIND (National
Association for Mental Health)
Information Department
Granta House
15—19 Broadway
London E15 4BQ
MindinfoLine: 08457 660163 (Monday to Friday, 9.15am—4.45pm typetalk
available)
Fax: 020 8522 1725
E-mail: contact@mind.org.uk
Website: www.mind.org.uk
Information and support for people with mental health problems, their
families and friends. Contact for details of your local group and for
free 'Deafness and Mental Health' factsheet, available by post and on
website.
Young
Minds
102—108 Clerkenwell Road
London EC1M 5SA
Tel: 020 7336 8445
Fax: 020 7336 8446
Helpline: 0800 018 2138 (Monday and Friday, 10am—1pm; Tuesday, Wednesday
and Thursday, 1pm—4pm)
Website: www.youngminds.org.uk
Information about a range of mental health issues affecting young people.
Contact for details of local and national advice services and a range
of free leaflets.
Youth
Access
1—2 Taylor's Yard
67 Alderbrook Road
London SW12 8AD
Tel: 020 8772 9900 (Monday to Friday, 9am—5pm; 24-hour answerphone
service)
Fax: 020 8772 9746
E-mail: admin@youthaccess.org.uk
Provides a nationwide referral service to local youth advice and counselling
services.
LINKS
Channel
4 Health: Anorexia and Binge Eating
www.channel4.com/health/microsites/H/health/
magazine/food/anorexia_main.html
Features on anorexia, binge eating and unhealthy eating, and a
guide to treatment services. Plus the facility to consult trained advisers
online, in complete confidence.
Channel
4 Health: Depression
www.channel4.com/health/microsites/H/health/
magazine/mind/depression.html
A guide to depression and to the help that's available. Plus the facility
to consult trained advisers online, in complete confidence.
Eating
Disorders
www.bbc.co.uk/health/features/eating_disorders.shtml
BBC website offering general information about eating disorders.
Eating
Disorder and Referral Centre
www.edreferral.com
Provides information and resources on the treatment and prevention of
eating disorders and locates resources anywhere in the world.
Something
Fishy
www.something-fishy.org
US-based website offering a huge resource of all types of information
about eating disorders.
Depression
www.depression.com
Practical information about depression, its causes and the treatments
available.
Depression
Central
www.psycom.net/depression.central.begin.html
Extensive list of links relating to a wide range of topics around depression.
Mental
Health
www.mentalhealth.com
Gives definitions of numerous mental health problems, as well as telling
you how to assess yourself and where to seek help.
The Health
Index UK Depression Community
www.healthindex.co.uk/depress/index.htm
Website offering information and advice to people suffering from depression
and to their relatives and friends. Includes a discussion forum for people
who experience depression.
Wing
of Madness
www.wingofmadness.com/index.htm
Comprehensive and user-friendly site about clinical depression, including
a forum for people with the condition. Also has a useful advice section
for people supporting someone with depression.
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