Anorexia Nervosa

[ABC-]

Do you constantly think about food and try to avoid meal times? Does not eating help you to deal with feelings and circumstances you can’t cope with? Are you losing weight and becoming obsessed by calories and fat? Are you also purging (getting rid of the food, feeling of food or calories) by making yourself sick or exercising obsessively or taking laxatives or diet pills?

If you feel that this is the case for you, don’t despair, you’re not alone.

Anorexia is a psychological illness which affects the mind as well as the body. It affects a lot of young people but also adults, both male and female. It is usually triggered by low-self esteem or painful feelings or circumstances and is often used as a coping mechanism to deal with issues that seem beyond control.

If you’re on the brink of anorexia, you may not see the negative sides to the eating disorder as the ‘pros’ can seem more appealing. If you've been struggling for a long time, you can feel trapped and unsure about getting help. Making a list of the pros and cons of anorexia can help you to decide if you’re ready to start out on the path to recovery. For example, under the pros section you may write: it helps me to feel in control, it makes me feel successful, people admire my will power. Under the cons section, you may write: It makes me feel alone, I get cold and tired a lot, people are always on at me, I can’t participate in anything. If the negatives outweigh the positives, you might feel ready to ask for some help. Telling someone about your anorexia is really helpful, but it does not mean they want to take all control away from you. Please remember that the sooner you get help, the better the chances of recovery are and ABC is here to help you.