“The part too often left out involves the perspectives of patients”: helping health-care providers understand the material reality of the every day for individuals with eating disorders

Abstract

I am in recovery from anorexia nervosa, and I have been struggling with this battle for almost 9 years. Nearly 10 million females, and one million males, in the USA are currently struggling with anorexia or bulimia as diagnosed by a physician, not even counting those exhibiting disordered eating behaviors undiagnosed (“Anorexia Nervosa” 2005). Estimates have shown that 80% of women in the USA are dissatisfied with their bodies (“Anorexia Nervosa” 2005). Suffice it to say that eating disorders are rampant in our country, and often remain a silent issue, as their effects make individuals feel ashamed and alone. While research has made leaps and bounds in eating disorder cause, treatment, and risk factors, unfortunately, the personal voice behind an eating disorder often gets lost in the midst of medicine aiming to find helpful approaches. This personal, layered account is an attempt to show that every patient’s individuality and personal experiences should be privileged throughout their diagnosis and care. Secondly, this research argues that an individual goes through a process of disease and recovery that are both complex and unpredictable. Having anorexia, and attempting to recover from it, is not as simple as a medical process resting only upon one’s motivation. I decided to write this research in an attempt to offer a voice for eating disorders, making the argument that although scientific research has been useful in particular treatment programs, perhaps it should only be used as a small supplement to eating disorder treatment programs, as personal experience shows that recovery from any life-threatening addiction cannot be simplified in a way that ignores the agency of the patient and their experiences.