In the eating disorder unit
lrb.co.uk
In the eating disorder unit
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Re: In the eating disorder unit
#2> (...) the overstretched staff didn’t have much time to support me, and I was often left crying on my own. Sometimes my tears were taken as evidence of ‘non-compliance’.
This, on its own, is already outrageous. What could lead to forming this kind of attitude?
Re: In the eating disorder unit
#3Quote: "The advice was not encouraging."
What would be encouraging to hear?
Re: In the eating disorder unit
#4Quote: "The advice was not encouraging." What would be encouraging to hear?
"There's another 30 hours of counseling and therapy available"
(which at ~£50/hr is presumably a lot cheaper than a stay in ICU)
Re: In the eating disorder unit
#5It's desperately under-funded:
"The hospital itself was old and seemed to be in the process of being shut down around us. Half the wards were empty, including the one opposite – a strange sight to those of us who had nearly died waiting for a bed. In winter, when it was too cold to be taken to ‘the bench’, we would instead be taken down another, deserted corridor, to sit for 15 minutes in a disused waiting room. When the five-bed rehabilitation house for patients leaving the inpatient unit was threatened with closure, doctors started to send patients there at a lower weight than advised, to secure its funding. Funding applications had to be made for each patient every two weeks, and I remember at least one patient being discharged suddenly and prematurely, because she had reached a weight beyond which her Primary Care Trust wouldn’t pay for treatment. Others, including me, had to prove that we weren’t ‘chronic’ cases and therefore worth funding. "
Re: In the eating disorder unit
#6> (...) the overstretched staff didn’t have much time to support me, and I was often left crying on my own. Sometimes my tears were taken as evidence of ‘non-compliance’. This, on its own, is already outrageous. What could lead to forming this kind of attitude?
Eating disorder is often comorbid with what's called "personality disorder" (usually what's called borderline PD).
People with that label experience significant levels of stigma and discrimination from health workers, including mental health workers.
Re: In the eating disorder unit
#7Quote: "The advice was not encouraging." What would be encouraging to hear?
> The advice was not encouraging. Since I’d already been given the treatment available in my borough, and my weight was only just within the ‘anorexic range’ (below a body mass index of 17), I was told I’d be better off registering with a university GP with access to better mental health services.
Anorexia is not about a person's weight, but about their disordered thoughts of food and eating.
When someone is doing the right thing and seeking early intervention for those disordered thoughts we should be providing them with a package of care to treat them. We know early intervention is life saving, and is more effective and cheaper than later intervention.
By forcing someone to wait until their BMI drops we're saying "come back when you're thinner" -- and that's a lethal thing to say to someone with an eating disorder.
Anorexia is one of the most fatal mental illnesses.
Re: In the eating disorder unit
#8> (...) the overstretched staff didn’t have much time to support me, and I was often left crying on my own. Sometimes my tears were taken as evidence of ‘non-compliance’. This, on its own, is already outrageous. What could lead to forming this kind of attitude?
Eating disorder is often comorbid with what's called "personality disorder" (usually what's called borderline PD). People with that label experience significant levels of stigma and discrimination from health workers, including mental health workers.
That said, it should not be underestimated what an immense strain those people are on mental health workers. I wonder how much time those institutions dedicate to debriefing their own staff, I think that would make a big difference in how the patients are treated as well.
Re: In the eating disorder unit
#9> "Some of the help and therapy I eventually received was excellent, but as much as my recovery was supported by the NHS, it was also fuelled by my determination never to have to rely on it again."
When I read this line, it hit home. I've been in and out of NHS treatment for years for other (not anorexia) issues. I never ever want to rely on the NHS again. They failed me so much I now avoid having to interact with anyone in the medical field. I deliberately avoid going to my GP for anything. Mental health care in the UK is so bad that you really wouldn't believe without first-hand experience. It needs to be scrapped and started again. I don't want to rant here on Hacker News too much (almost never comment) but this hit a nerve and I'm angry just thinking about the mental health care the NHS pretends to provide.
Re: In the eating disorder unit
#10> "Some of the help and therapy I eventually received was excellent, but as much as my recovery was supported by the NHS, it was also fuelled by my determination never to have to rely on it again." When I read this line, it hit home. I've been in and out of NHS treatment for years for other (not anorexia) issues. I never ever want to rely on the NHS again. They failed me so much I now avoid having to interact with an…
People love comparing countries for their non-mental healthcare (physiological care?), but I never seem to hear about countries that actually have good, functioning mental healthcare systems.
New Zealand has what could be described as a well-functioning (most of the time) healthcare system, if you break your arm, it's not a worry at all. But the mental healthcare system is a complete shitshow.
It's an absolute disgrace, especially considering that NZ has the highest youth suicide rate in the world.