Anorexia Stories Can Save a Life: Important Anorexia Facts And Experiences

Many victims have an anorexia story to share. For example, anorexia nervosa is the eating disorder which claimed the life of the 1970's international music phenomenon Karen Carpenter in 1983. Her anorexia story is one of great tragedy because her death came in the midst of a very positive period in her recovery. The damage to her body resulting from complications of anorexia was just too much to heal from.

This disorder, in particular, is an insidious and progressive medical condition with many aspects determining how it manifests. More than anything though, it has psychological roots in poor self-esteem, skewed body image, and a deep need to fit in, while feeling perpetually excluded.

Common Element of Anorexia Stories

Many anorexia stories feature a patient who will not admit there is a problem. This leads to a lack of treatment of the anorexia disorder, making the disease more difficult. It also increases the likelihood of a horrible outcome as time goes on due to the other medical issues that extreme starvation can cause. Karen Carpenter's tragic anorexia story is more visible, as she was famous, but there are countless others with sad anorexia stories just like hers. 

Horrible outcomes and bodies ravaged by severe eating disorders do not need to be the final outcome though. Parents, peers or other important mentors have the power to change those potential outcomes for individuals who may be dealing with the symptoms of anorexia or other eating disorder.

What can be done about this? As with anything, knowledge is power, and in this case, the best way to start to gain the knowledge so necessary to help prevent someone you love from walking down this horrible path is by hearing the trials of other anorexia sufferers.

If a loved one falls into a high-risk category, is appearing oddly preoccupied with their body image, is suddenly secretive or exhibiting other food-related warning signs, like skipping meals, then you might have cause for concern. In a situation like this, it's better to be safe than sorry.

Continue reading on for the anorexia stories which will further illustrate the process that this disease takes.

An Anonymous High Schooler's Anorexia Story - I Hated Food, But Hated High School More

"My anorexia story started in high school. High school is hard; if people think "Mean Girls" was just a movie, they're wrong. Lindsay Lohan may just be an actress, but those characters that she and her friends played... are real.

I never 'liked' food really, unless I was making it disappear by throwing it away when nobody was looking, but when I got to high school, and realized I didn't fit in, and became a target for those "mean girls," I began to like food even less.

Of course, that led to not eating, and then those extra pounds I had been carrying melted off. I loved that feeling more than I ever loved food, even though I knew it wasn't healthy. I loved that feeling because to be thin meant I could fit in and I wanted so badly to. But, it was also making me sick to be that thin. It took me a long time to realize it and get help. My parents finally helped me, along with my friends, and other family members. I sometimes wonder what my life would have been like had I loved food from the start, and had I not been bullied in school."

A Man's Anorexia Story - What It Mean's to Struggle with Anorexia as a Man

"My anorexia story is different. People think men don't suffer from anorexia. So I suffered quietly and alone as a young teen from a monster that could easily ravage not only my body, but also potentially my future. At first, no one really noticed when I wouldn't eat as much as I used to, they just assumed that it was stress and anxiety related to school.

I dealt with the typical things that any boy of my age deals with. But, I couldn't handle the stress like typical boys do. I finally just stopped eating all together. People noticed, but I always had a story for them, and they always seemed to be placated by what I said.

If anyone suspected anorexia, they didn't say much. Surely men and boys don't get eating disorders, right? WRONG. Someone finally did make me aware of the problem, but I didn't want to hear it for a while.

At almost 22, I am in recovery now and seeing my old self more and more. But, self-limiting beliefs and the tendency of others to assume that men are unaffected by eating disorders almost cost me my dreams, if not my life."

Anorexia stories are widely available on the internet, in support groups and maybe even in your own social circle (Anorexia Video Snippets). These stories may serve simply as a reminder that you are not alone, or maybe as a road map toward your own recovery.

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