I do wish it were better researched; the writer doesn't seem to know anything more about anorexia than what Vikki tells her. But overall it's not much more than the standard "This is what it's like to live with a disease" piece. From the sidebar I gather that the Mail is the UK equivalent of the National Enquirer, anyway.

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Ugh. So sad.

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these post help so much to understand a family member with mental illness - I realize that is not the primary focus but it's great nonetheless

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also, can we outlaw posting pictures of anorexics in articles about them? because i think it just feeds (pardon the pun, not intended) the disease, both for the person photographed and for other anorexics.

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And by the same token, stories like Vikki's could be problematic not only for those who have suffered from ED's and could be triggered, but for the many, many women who have disordered eating from time to time. I mean, I'm intelligent, I'm deep, I feel pain, I want to be pure. I am the only member of my family that is not an alcoholic and has never been on medication for depression, schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. My father died while driving drunk, my mother and only brother have schizophrenia, and I often wonder why I have made it this far without destroying myself, why I feel so completely normal.

And I know it's not a choice to have an illness like alcoholism, anorexia or schizophrenia, but still at this point, for me, simply exercising, eating right, sleeping 8 hours a night and making good choices might lessen my chances for becoming sick. And your writing on this subject, it's a good reminder that there is nothing glamorous or deep about being sick. My family should be a reminder of that, but sometimes it's hard to get a good perspective on it all when it's people close to you. Again, I'm not suggesting an ED is a choice, but those of us who aren't in the thralls of illness can still make positive choices that make it less likely that something will develop.

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