To My General Practitioner

Dear my General Practitioner,

I understand that you have your medical degree, and that you have comprehensive knowledge on a variety of health issues and conditions, but a few lectures and book chapters during your training covering mental health and eating disorders does not prepare you enough for facing such illnesses in real-life situations. There are a few things that you need to know when dealing with patients suffering from eating disorders, which may contradict what you have heard or read – but as a sufferer, please hear me out.

Please try not give us obvious stares or facial expressions when you see or examine us. I know that, sometimes, our bodies can be quite confronting; we are extremely self-conscious of our bodies and letting someone see and examine us is very anxiety provoking and difficult to do.

Remember, just as no common cold or broken arm present themselves in the same way, no two eating disorders are ever the same. The “textbook” explanation of Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, or Binge Eating Disorder does not necessarily fully apply to each patient and will be presented to you in a variety of ways which may be difficult to detect. Not all Anorexia suffers eat next-to-nothing, nor do all Bulimics purge or abuse laxatives – please take some time to try and gather some information more specific to the patient; life history, current pressures or stressors, our habits or patterns of what we do. For some of us it takes some time to open up to people about such a sensitive subject and others are open about their suffering, you’ll quickly be able to tell how we act and approach the conversation of our illnesses.

Many comments made that you may say, especially regarding our bodies, which come from a good place, can be quickly interpreted by our eating disorders as against us and have the negative outcome you were expecting or hoping. Any comment on our weight, shape, looks, eating habits, practically anything can become twisted in our heads.

Please do not wait for someone who is showing signs of and eating disorder to “get worse” before you offer them help or advise them of services available. In order to break down the stigma surrounding eating disorders, the stereotypes that depict what eating disorders look or sound like needs to be removed. Sufferers of Anorexia are not all underweight, not all Bulimics use one single mechanism for purging, sufferers of BED fit no one mould, and there is no age limit on developing an eating disorder.

Lastly, if you do come in contact with someone who is suffering, or may be suffering, from an eating disorder, please take some time to do a bit more research into the appropriate disorder, and any services or professionals nearby for both for the sufferer but also support services that can be passed on to carers or partners.

Oh, and in case this isn't already obvious - please do not tell us any of the following phrases; "How about you eat some more/less?", "Why don't you just stop purging/binging/restricting/over-exercising?", "You do realise that this has long-term consequences?" - believe us, if it were that easy no one would have an eating disorder.

I hope that there has been at least one thing that you have taken away from this and can implement if not in your own practicing, then in the practicing of your peers.

Rawing Meg xx