Anorexia on the Spectrum
By Ellen Ewing, F.E.A.S.T. Volunteer My husband and I sat uncomfortably in the therapist’s comforting garret office with all the colorful, spangled pillows and fidget toys (which we had helped replenish since my daughter had broken practically every one). Our daughter was a year in to strong recovery from anorexia nervosa; we really didn’t have […]
One Bite At a Time
By Annika Agresti The smell of sage wafted heavily in the air. My mother walked around every room and corner of the house with tears running down her cheeks as she attempted to cleanse the house of its unwelcome visitor. I had been taken hostage starkly and suddenly by mental illness and life as we […]
Parents Do Not Cause Eating Disorders
This statement may seem obvious, but it is the sad history of eating disorder treatment that parents are sometimes still blamed or feel blamed when a loved one develops an eating disorder. This crippling and discredited thinking was also once the case for other illnesses that we now understand are neither given nor chosen, like asthma, stuttering, autism, […]
Insights from Relapse to Recovery: What I’ve Learned from Falling and Getting Back up Again
By: Hannah My recovery from anorexia has not been linear, and I know I am not alone in this experience. Research indicates 31% of patients with anorexia relapse after treatment, with the risk for relapse being highest within the first two years after discharge. The likelihood that I am not alone in my many relapses doesn’t console […]
A Starvation Accident
By Rachel In 2021 our 14-year-old son developed anorexia. The following is an overview of our experience and what we learned from it. We are sharing our experience in the hope that it might help others to make more sense of their own experiences or to avoid a similar experience at all. Our Observations Our […]
Defining Recovery
The goal of eating disorder treatment is full recovery: living life free of eating disorder thoughts and behaviors. There is always hope, even for patients with chronic illness, but the best path to recovery is early intervention and firm and unyielding progress toward full medical, emotional, and cognitive health. Although they are extremely serious brain […]
Reflections On My Recovery at 40; A Journey With My Parents
Reflection by Helen I was 27 years old, in a happy relationship and with a good career when anorexia first entered my life. Over the past 13 years, the eating disorder has been detrimental to every part of my existence. It has not just physically depleted me but it turned me into a hollow, numb, […]
Our Story: The Biology of Anorexia
By Rachel Eating disorders can be induced. This realization was the missing link between everything I was learning about eating disorders and everything I was witnessing firsthand with my son, who developed anorexia at the age of 14. How can eating disorders be induced? Simply by creating an energy imbalance in which someone takes in fewer calories than his/her body actually needs for an […]
Eating Disorders Are Not A Choice
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDfYd4x4Tw8 Video compiled and produced by F.E.A.S.T. volunteers: L.H., B.E., and K.D. Photo credit: J. Clarke https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3GosbIIHqg UNC Health YouTube Channel – NINE TRUTHS playlist Eating disorders are not a choice, they are serious biologically influenced illnesses. When first confronted with an eating disorder we see the behaviours. Restriction, binging, purging, and obsessive exercise. Things we […]
Fighting The Myth of Assumed “Underlying Cause”
By Judy Krasna, F.E.A.S.T. Executive Director One of the biggest myths about eating disorders that I encountered personally on my journey, one that inflicted catastrophic damage, was this myth of needing to find a reason why someone developed an eating disorder. I know that other parents have dealt with this as well. I would like to […]
