Hi! I'm Ria and I'm 15 years old. I am from the UK and have been battling anorexia for the last 2 years. This topic is quite personal to me, and I really believe that it’s important to start raising more awareness now than ever. Eating disorders need to be talked about more openly, as they are very often misunderstood.

Imagine this: someone you know has just been diagnosed with cancer. It’s treatable but they are really unwell. Everyone goes rushing to the hospital, showering their love, support and understanding. This scenario is often different for mental illnesses, with less support and understanding. However, they are still illnesses, not choices. There is still so much stigma surrounding mental illness, especially eating disorders, and we need to change that.

BEAT, which is a UK-based eating disorder charity, suggests that approximately 1.25 million in the UK have an eating disorder, of which 25% are male. The most common eating disorders are anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder.

So, what are eating disorders? They are a way of coping with difficult feelings and emotions, through having an unhealthy relationship with food, either eating too much, too little, or purging. They are a lot more prevalent that you would think, NEDA (National Eating Disorder Awareness) states that a child is 242 times more likely to develop an eating disorder than they are to develop type 2 diabetes. This is why raising awareness now is more important than ever.

One very common myth about eating disorders are that they only affect young, vain, teenage girls. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. Eating disorders affect people of all backgrounds, ages, colours, genders and sexualities. They do not discriminate. Anyone can develop an eating disorder for so many different reasons, and although they are a lot more prevalent in girls and women, many boys and men suffer too. Sadly, many of these boys and men are ashamed to seek help because of the myths surrounding the illnesses.

Something that a lot of people don’t understand is why people actually get eating disorders. Most people with eating disorders have poor self-worth and perfectionist opinions about how they should look and what they should weigh. Their need to be perfect and craving for control often extends into other areas of their life. Bullying also has a major toll on mental health, and a recent study has shown that 75% of people with eating disorders have been bullied. As well as this, people from the LGBT+ community and those who have experienced trauma, are at a much, much higher risk of developing an eating disorder.

Here’s a little bit of background about my eating disorder. My struggles with anorexia nervosa started near the end of 2018. I had developed a deep sense of hatred towards myself - when I looked in the mirror, all I saw was a fat, ugly, worthless girl. I thought losing weight would change that.

It started out pretty innocent, cutting out the chocolate, being ‘healthy,’ but it very soon spiralled out of control. I began to see food as the enemy, even though the real enemy was inside my own head. Things progressively got worse, and every waking moment, all I was thinking about was how to eat less. I was diagnosed with anorexia nervosa in February 2019.

I still deteriorated and was at my worst during the summer of 2019. At the beginning of September, I was almost hospitalised and after that I realised that this is not the way I wanted to spend my life, with constant hospital appointments, weight checks, and blood tests. I hated life, I hated myself and I so desperately wanted to change that.

Was any of it worth it? No, because I’d rather be alive than thin. Thin, for me, was tired and flaky. No sleep, no energy, no motivation. I was slowly disappearing, and I was constantly saying no to my body when it was crying out for nourishment. Thin was hell. Today, thin is still what half my mind wants, but the other half is stronger and says, ‘you can recover, you deserve better.’

Since last September I have been putting all my efforts into my recovery, trying my best to gain back the weight I should have never lost, trying to heal my mind, and trying to take care of myself. It’s been painful, difficult and tough, but

the worst of recovery is still better than the best of anorexia.

Another misconception about eating disorders is that they involve huge amounts of discipline. They don’t. Even the most severe anorexic isn’t exercising self-discipline. We are sick, we have misguided brains that are driving us to deadly behaviours, we lack complete control. Discipline starts when you begin recovery. Your mind is constantly screaming at you, ‘if you don’t go for a run you will put on weight’, and there’s only one thing you have to do in that moment. Push through. People in recovery have the discipline to get their life back, but people with eating disorders have the kind of illnesses that will kill them.

Talking openly about our mental health is one of the most important things, given a rise in mental health issues in young people. Yes, there will be people who won’t understand, but that’s our job as a society to change that.

A large part of many people’s struggles is the negative effects of social media. Although eating disorders are caused by a multitude of things, I believe that social media is a factor for many of us struggling, with the constant skinny models that pop up onto our screens, which are all airbrushed, or the slimming tea and pill adverts, which no celebrity actually uses. Quite recently, Jameela Jamil, who has recovered from anorexia, started a petition to ban celebrities from promoting toxic diet products on social media. We have been taught to believe that thin=beautiful and fat=ugly. Subconsciously, our minds are being filled with dangerous, toxic information that can be detrimental to our mental health.

In a recent study, 44% of adolescent girls believed they were overweight and 60% were actively trying to lose weight, even though these young girls were within normal weight ranges. We, as a society need to help make changes to the media. There has already been such an uproar about BBC’s new show, ‘The Restaurant that Burns off Calories’, where diners are invited to eat a meal, but then must burn off every single calorie at an onsite gym. This content would be extremely triggering to those with eating disorders, and BEAT revealed that they received three times as many calls than usual after it was aired. This is devastating as it once again enforces disordered behaviours.

So, what can we actually do to prevent eating disorders amongst our generation? Raising awareness is so important. It needs to start in schools as these illnesses often develop in adolescence. Schools can help educate teens about eating disorders, challenging misconceptions and discussing signs, symptoms, risk factors and how to get support. They can discuss what wellness means and promote positive body image. We need get rid of the idea that thin=beauty and happiness.

Banish the thoughts that tell you that your weight determines your worth. It does not. Value your accomplishments and achievements, not just your beauty. Imagine being 75 and looking back on your life, never embracing the sun because you were too conscious of your body or never having done anything fun because the pressure to be perfect consumed your life. You will look back and be heartbroken. Live life to the fullest.

Please sign my petition about raising awareness of eating disorders in schools at:

https://www.change.org/p/gavin-williamson-make-eating-disorder-education-compulsory-in-schools

Ria Taneja