The following are two posts from a 2008 Thread started by md: Characteristics that ED sufferers share From md: Hi.
It seems to me that there are characteristics shared by ED sufferers
and statements made by sufferers that caregivers new to the disease do
not recognize as being shared traits or common statements. I'm
wondering if it would be useful for new visitors if caregivers posted
some of those on this thread. The following are some examples: Social and emotional regression It gets worse before it gets better Anxiety accompanies malnutrition Desire to engage in weird kinds of exercise "I can do it myself!" "If you just left me alone, I would get better!" "I'm not like all those other people with eating disorders. Mine is different." Maybe there already is such a thread, but if not, I think it would be a good one to have. From Phoenix: This is a fantastic
idea. I often find myself telling people that all our children sound
like the same person in different bodies. A few traits I would add to the list: Many of our children... view their disease as an accomplishment; view themselves as more knowledgable about nutrition than anyone else on the planet; make the scale a fetishistic object; believe everyone is lying to them when told they are thin (see themselves as grossly fat); based on the opposition fat/thin tend to see many other things in equally distorted (i.e., black/white) terms---you're either with me or against me, friends are either best or terrible, homework is either hard or easy, etc.; do not believe the medical side effects of ED's do or will ever apply to them; lose the ability to think back or forward in time--i.e., to see themselves as either pre or post-ED; think nothing of having their ED dictate the group dynamics of those around them--friends, family, teachers, classmates. There is so much more, but these are a few of the traits that come most readily to mind. |
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