 About Biting Anorexia
‘My name is Lucy. I am in recovery from anorexia nervosa and
major depression, each of which almost killed me.’
So begins this extraordinary depiction by an 18-year-old woman
of her descent into the tortured existence of anorexia and her
arduous and remarkable recovery from it.
Anorexia nervosa is the most fatal of all psychiatric illnesses, and
over 90 per cent of eating disorder victims are young women.
While anorexia is often portrayed in the media as a phase that
some young girls obsessed by their appearance go through, the
realities of the illness prove that nothing could be further from the
truth. As Lucy states in her powerful depiction: ‘This isn’t about
weight, or a diet or a figure. Somewhere along the line I’ve come
to equate fat with failure and weakness. Weight loss is merely
symptomatic of the greater psychological problem.’
Biting Anorexia is unique in that much of it was written while the
author was in the grips of the condition. Recovery is the hardest,
most challenging and most confusing part – and the one least
written about. This book tracks her slow progress out of the illness.
Lucy says: ‘To challenge an eating disorder, or any mental illness,
is to wage a prolonged, painful and devastating war … it is the
most confusing and emotionally draining part of the illness.’
'Lucy's brave struggle to reclaim her life from an eating disorder provides a graphic yet poetic insight into the pain and suffering experienced by sufferers of eating disorders and will no doubt provide a positive incentive to others - to both those already in treatment and to those who are struggling to take that first step.'
–Claire Vickery, CEO/Founder, The Butterfly Foundation.
'In her raw and compelling account of the experience of anorexia nervosa, Lucy strips away all grandiosity or pretension ... her cautious, tentative steps towards recovery should inspire not only those currently trapped by the illness or its relapses, but also families who all too often have their deep trauma minimised and trivialised.'
- Amanda Jordan, Chief Executive Officer, Eating Disorders Foundation. |
