Disclaimer: This is a fictional narrative written to emulate what a typical case of AN:B/P may look like, and is not meant to reflect any true events or people.
Written by: Muhammad Qureshi
Edited by: Benjamin Hewitt
Rhonda’s story with anorexia began at 17 years old when she sat down and watched a documentary about eating disorders with her friend one late night. Anorexia nervosa with a binge/purge subtype is defined by having an abnormally low body weight coupled with an intense fear of gaining weight, who then try to control their body weight by purging or having extremely low caloric intakes (“Anorexia Nervosa”, 2018). She was impacted by how the girl on screen quickly lost weight and thought how nice it would be to lose a couple of pounds herself. Many girls at her school thought the same as well, where purging after eating or even taking laxatives was the way many girls were losing weight with successful outcomes. Slowly entranced by the idea, she finally gave in when she first purged. The feelings after were wonderful, Rhonda thought. Eating all of that food and then losing it after, she thought she was bound to make progress in losing her desired twenty pounds. However, it progressively got worse. No breakfast, no lunch, and rarely a simple low-calorie dinner with the follow-up of a purge straight was the ritual for many years in Rhonda’s life. Becoming alienated from her friends and family didn't matter to her since she was getting thinner, and her morning weigh-ins were part of the sacred ritual that she participated in.
Living on a mere hundred calories per day had devastating consequences on Rhonda mentally and physically. Every night she would have dreams of eating uncontrollably until she was fully satiated, however, there was no avenue to get rid of the food. Rhonda compared herself to others who were admitted with extreme anorexia nervosa and envied how they were skinnier, and eventually Rhonda was admitted herself. Rhonda gained twelve pounds in the hospital, however, she felt ashamed that she had gained this weight when picturing her unrealistic ideal body image. After gaining back some weight and completing the hospital's course of treatment, she was discharged from the hospital and moved on to university where she would be away from her parents. Rhonda thought that this would be a great opportunity to binge and purge without being seen.
During her time at university, she ate massive amounts of food, but all of it ended up being flushed down. Not only her symptoms but also her studies, were spiraling out of control once again. In her first semester, she failed four of her classes, letting her friends and family down. Her complete focus was on starvation and losing weight, and with little effort to continue studying, she dropped out of college. Returning home was not easy for Rhonda. After some time, even your parents can lose their patience, Rhonda often thought. Rhonda’s parents sought out a specialized therapist in dealing with conditions such as hers and to their surprise helped Rhonda with her condition by first implementing a series of cognitive behavioral therapies (CBT). Rhonda soon started to see results, however was still not satisfied with her image as a whole.
Rhonda’s therapist soon invited her to a support group that discussed their experiences with anorexia over weekly dinners. She frequently participated in discussions with the new friends she made and it felt like a family due to the similar experiences that everyone had. The therapist engaged in strict nutritional counseling while supervising the entire group on supported weight gain. Seeing everyone progress and becoming healthier motivated Rhonda, which inturn allowed her to return to a healthy weight. Unfortunately, Rhonda’s story is no different than many with anorexia nervosa, however eating disorders as a whole affect more than 28.8 million Americans in a single lifetime, with anorexia having the highest mortality rate of any mental illness (“Eating Disorder Statistics”).
References:
Mayo Clinic Staff. (2018, February 20). Anorexia nervosa. Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/anorexia-nervosa/symptoms-causes/syc-2035359
Eating disorder statistics: ANAD - National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and associated disorders. ANAD National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders. (2024, January 11). https://anad.org/eating-disorder-statistic/
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