Eating Disorder Help

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Author:
Peter Morrisson

In March 2003 our then 13 year old daughter, Helen, was diagnosed with anorexia nervosa, at which point she was on the verge of being emaciated. Her BMI was approximately 15.

My initial reluctance to accept this diagnosis was dispelled towards the end of the month when Helen became severely dehydrated and suffered a complete nervous breakdown as the anorexia finally took total control of both her mind and body. It may sound melodramatic, but it was as if she had become possessed. Helen’s reaction, when encouraged to drink a glass water in order to ease the stomach cramps caused by the dehydration, was uncharacteristically aggressive and resulted in an hysterical screaming fit which unnerved both myself and Fiona, my ex-wife. Helen flew into a rage and began to scream: “IT'S WEIGHT, IT'S WEIGHT, IT'S WEIGHT!”

At this point, we realised that we had no control over Helen whatsoever. However, by June 2003, only three months later, Fiona and myself had broken the illness and Helen was able to return to school. By September 2003 Helen had attained her perfect weight and the illness had been completely eradicated from her psyche. By January 2004, Helen was signed off by the adolescent mental health unit, her psychiatrist commenting that it was “one of the quickest recoveries” from mental illness that he had ever seen.

In order to break the anorexia, my ex-wife and myself devised a radical treatment programme which was contrary to the advice of the medical specialists and which, for a number of weeks, put us in direct confrontation with them. Throughout this period, I rigorously maintained the validity of our approach and predicted that the anorexia would be “done and dusted” by Christmas. Helen’s psychiatrist was extremely sceptical and was clearly concerned by what he must have perceived as my over-confidence. The very next day, Fiona received a phone call (May 2003) in which it was suggested that I was actively perpetuating the illness and we were both summarily summoned to an emergency meeting set for the following week. However, before the meeting could take place, our approach finally started to show results and Helen put on two pounds, thus attaining her highest weight in two months. As a result, the meeting became a rather muted affair and it was agreed that we would be monitored but essentially left to continue Helen's recovery via our own methods.

In the various sections of our website: www.escape-from-anorexia.com we have set out to explain exactly how we rescued Helen from this dreadful illness using a combination of diet, exercise and confidence building measures. Helen also contributes, providing invaluable testimony as to what it felt like to be anorexic and explaining how we, her parents, were able to break the iron grip that the anorexic mindset had upon her.

We are not necessarily advocating our strategies to anybody else but we do sincerely hope that our account of Helen’s record-breaking recovery may present some useful insights which might make a difference to you and your child.

Peter Morrisson
http://www.escape-from-anorexia.com

A Quick Note From The Publisher... If you like the article above, you may be interested in the following article which is also related to Eating Disorders... I Think I Have an Eating Disorder and Want to Stop An eating disorder is a life threatening condition that often requires professional assistance and support to overcome. If you think you have an eating disorder it is critical that you seek out the help and support you need to overcome your condition. Beating an ea ting disorder can prove very rewarding and open new avenues of opportunity you never dreamed of. You will no longer be tied down by food and your emotional as well as physical health and well being will improve substantially. HOW DO I KNOW I HAVE AN EATING DISORDER? There are many signs and symptoms that are indicative of an eating disorder. Consider asking yourself the following questions: - Do you obsess about food and eating? - Do you deny yourself food at times even when you feel hungry? - Do you often withdraw from social activities involving eating? - Do you often feel fat even if you are not fat or overweight? - Do you exercise excessively after meals or to the point of pain or injury? - Do you purge (vomit) after eating? - Do you regularly use laxatives or diuretics to control your weight? - Do you often eat large volumes of food uncontrollably? If you answered yes to one or more of these questions, you may have an eating disorder. ANOREXIA AND BULIMIA Anorexia is a type of eating disorder that is often characterized by starving oneself thin. People who are anorexic often do not allow themselves to eat more than 500 or less calories per day. Bulimics tend to eat large quantities of food and then purge them, through vomiting or laxative use. Both anorexics and bulimics may exercise excessively. There are other types of eating disorders as well including binge eating disorder where you consume large quantities of food...