I contributed a piece to Ziggy’s Wish an online service asking if it can ever be a bad thing to raise awareness of eating disorders. I have said I think it can be harmful because we only see the horror stories and the skeletal bodies and unhappy faces of eating disorders. We do not really see the heroic faces of recovery nor do we learn the real facts and causes of eating disorders nor do we really think about what kind of treatment works best. It’s the wrong kind of publicity we are getting.
The kind of publicity we get only increases stigma for eating disorder patients. I think that we can do better. Some of you might say oh it will help to prevent eating disorders or it will help people to access help. Are you sure? Prevent – no. Getting help – maybe.
Here is the link to the article