E: edani@btconnect.com
Contact Us
Telephone:028 9023 5959
EMail:
edani@btconnect.com
Address:
Eating Disorders Association N.Ireland 28 Bedford Street
Belfast
BT2 7EF
N.Ireland
Support for You
Talking to someone you trust is an important part of recovering from an eating disorder. Covering up the symptoms, disguising the amount you eat and the way you feel can become such a habit that talking openly about the issues in your life can seem almost impossible. Many people make excuses such as 'now is not the time' or 'there is no-one I can trust' or 'they might tell my parents or my partner'.
It is extremely difficult to recover from an eating disorder without help from other people. Often partners and parents are grateful when they finally understand why you have been behaving so strangely. Ironically, the person with the problem often mistakenly believes their problems have been completely undetected. The secrecy and denial of eating disorders can make it difficult for you to acknowledge your problem when someone who cares, talks to you about it. This creates a barrier which only you can bring down, a task that may seem like an impossible challenge.
The 'inner voice' which many people experience can make decisions about making a move towards recovery very difficult. Often your fear of gaining weight is very frightening indeed. It also affects the way you feel other people will react, and you may think their reaction will always be negative or lacking in understanding. This is the disorder distorting your thinking process, but it can be very hard to realise this. In order to recover you will have to be ready to challenge this negative thinking and really want to move towards recovery before you will be able to respond to people who can help you.
You may be concerned that if you seek help the fact that you have an eating disorder on your medical records may affect future employment prospects. However, most employers will not be concerned if your eating disorder has been properly treated. If an employer discovers that an eating disorder has been deliberately hidden and treatment refused, they may have grounds for disciplinary action. If having an eating disorder on your medical records is a genuine concern you should contact EDA who have some useful information on this subject.