'I felt like an animal in a feeding zoo'

[firemonkey]

When Ruth Parker, 20, from Leeds, first sought treatment for an eating disorder, instead of being offered support she was – perversely – left thinking that she was too big to be anorexic.


After being referred to specialist services by her GP, Parker was told that her body mass index (BMI) was not low enough to meet their admission criteria. “A rational mind would see this as a result of overstretched services, but my head interpreted it as a way of telling me I was not committed enough to my illness,” she says.

http://www.theguardian.com/commentis...ed-england-nhs

[B37]

Originally Posted by Thingsbeyondthings

Thanks for the article link. As someone who has a ED I found the accounts of these experiences both relatable and disturbing. Once the GP believed me I think I was quite fortunate to get an appointment within a few weeks but mine wasn't as serious as some of the people in the article however the consultant who saw me hated my guts and I would never ask to be referred again. Once you've stopped purging or fasting and have gained weight they don't care, once you've physically started healing they expect the mental part to click in as if you didn't have all these anxieties, low self -esteem, depression thats been going on for years and they expect you to be better within weeks. Once I was given an ultimatum to take antidepressants or be discharged if I didn't improve within a week. One member of staff said people come back all the time and that they very rarely get sufficient treatment the first time.

Yeah, I have an ED as well as Depression, Anxiety, SA, OCD.Some of the treatment I've received has been woefully bad and I've been discharged early not believed, had one GP say to me "well, what do you want me to do" when I told him I was suffering and hadn't eaten for months and in general had psychiatrists and psychologists have no idea how to treat me. The NHS I guess are just underfunded in MH issues and in particular EDs and it shows badly in the care.

[Liono]

Unfortunately our government is more for the economy. With cuts to the nhs budget. I'm not sure if I've got ED now as many days i only have one meal but the doctor just weighs me, then tells me I've lost a pound in weight, next time I've gained a little, then lose it again. even though I'm way under weight. didn't realise I could get sectioned, it's a scary thought to be sectioned for months with having drugs forced on you on a daily basis.