Mind Control
Guest blogger Rachel Smeeth analyses the parallels between cults and anorexia nervosa and asks: can the mind brainwash itself?
Anorexia and Assisted Dying
Eating disorders campaigners are worried that people with anorexia may lose their lives under the new Assisted Dying Bill. Anorexia Myths explores the concerns around the new bill
‘In Recovery’ is the Best You Can Hope For: a Reader’s Response
Guest Blogger Chris Sims on why clinicians and people with anorexia need to aim high
Myth: Being ‘In Recovery’ is the Best You Can Hope For
Should clinicians always aim for recovered? Or is ‘in recovery’ enough?
Myth: Anorexia is Something to be Ashamed of
Why is anorexia treated differently from other illnesses?
New Treatments: Ketamine
In the first in a series on novel treatments, Anorexia Myths speaks to consultant psychiatrist Dr Rupert McShane about the pros and cons of using ketamine in the treatment of anorexia nervosa
The Power of Positive Thinking
A comparison of the heart-breaking case of Patricia with another anonymous girl with anorexia highlights the importance of hope and tenacity in treatment. And why eating should never be up for negotiation
The Unbearable Burden of Choice
Guest blogger May writes about the enormous difficulty of decision making around food for someone with anorexia nervosa
What Parents Say, and Why
What a parent of someone with anorexia nervosa might say and why it’s important that clinicians listen
Myth: You Can’t Recover Until Society Changes
A much-cited piece of research implied that the introduction of television brought anorexia nervosa to Fiji. Guest blogger B takes a look at why this conclusion was flawed, and why you don’t have to wait until society changes before you can recover.
Received Wisdom: What do we Really Know About Anorexia?
We take look at some of the known knowns, known unknowns and unknown unknowns of anorexia nervosa
Myth: We Know How to Set Target Weights
Weight restoration isn’t enough. We should be looking for brain restoration, and this often comes at a higher weight. We talk to the marvellous JD Ouellette about this and more
Myth: Periods Mean You’re Perfectly Fine
Having your period doesn’t mean you don’t have anorexia nervosa. We explore the mechanism behind period loss and what it means for people with restrictive eating disorders
Myth: Eating’s Cheating When You’re Drinking
WARNING: this article contains descriptions of negative behaviours around food and alcohol
What is drunkorexia? And why you shouldn’t substitute alcohol for food.
Do Our Thoughts Always Begin in Our Brain?
WARNING: this article contains descriptions of suicidal ideation
We look at how, when there is a physical problem, our thoughts can run out of our control
Myth: Anorexia is Just an Extreme Diet
A parent explains what it’s like to care for a child in the early months of anorexia, and how isolating this can feel when family and friends just don’t get it.
Do People With Anorexia Realise How Ill They Are?
We take a look at anosognosia. What it is and what it means for treatment.
Myth: Someone With Anorexia Can’t Get Pregnant
Are pregnancy and anorexia mutually exclusive? What maternity services need to know.
Myth: Only Young People Get Anorexia Nervosa
It was long believed that anorexia was an illness of the young. But older people get anorexia too.
Myth: People With Anorexia Enjoy Starving
In the upside-down world of anorexia nervosa, fear of starvation can cause starvation