Hurtful Comments about People with Eating Disorders

It is Mental Health Awareness Week. Therefore, I thought I would share some comments that I have received on my YouTube channel to highlight how there is still such a lack of understanding of eating disorders. These inappropriate and hurtful comments about people with eating disorders demonstrate how there is such a long way to go and that raising awareness and understanding is so important.

Many people don’t understand about eating disorders and other mental health issues but are willing to be educated and learn. Many others simply don’t want to understand and believe mental illness is a choice. These are just a few of the hurtful comments about people with eating disorders that I have received. I do find it hard to believe that people can think in this way. Not only are the comments hurtful, but they also reflect such ignorance, lack of compassion, and reinforce the stigma and discrimination that people with mental health problems experience.

I am not sharing these hurtful comments about people with eating disorders to upset people or ask for sympathy, but just to show that these damaging viewpoints still exist and need to be changed.

Hurtful comments about people with eating disorders:

Comment 1:

“This GIRL had should have researched first what is the actual purpose and meaning of losing weight and only then she should have taken such a big step. HER baseless and illogical reasons made HERSELF, her FAMILY and her FRIENDS, everyone suffered.”

Yes, that’s right, if you research illnesses you can prevent yourself getting them. If I learn about cancer, asthma, dementia, strokes, I can then decide if I want to get those illnesses based on logic. Anorexia is an illness. I did not have ‘reasons’, it is not a choice. You don’t research it, then decide you want to get it, then go about getting it.

Comment 2:

“Still skin and bones. I don’t see any recovery at all.. just Eat
Not sure if you know them.
Make new friends with:
Ronald McDonald, Colonel Sanders, and Shephard Pie.“

It is not acceptable to comment on someone’s appearance. Ever. And to joke about what is a serious, deadly illness and belittle it to the point of simply needing to eat a takeaway is hurtful and insulting. Anorexia is not a case of being cured by just eating. Sufferers can die from anorexia, spend years in hospital, struggle on daily basis to live their lives. Oh, but you know what, just tell them to eat and it will all get better. If only it were that simple.

Comment 3:

“Sometimes thinking more about something other than ‘I’ is necessary.“

Being aware of how much your illness effects others doesn’t miraculously stop you being ill. Someone who is paralysed may well think about how their illness effects others, but it can’t stop them being ill. Again, this hurtful comment about people with eating disorders reduces them to being choice and that  if I thought about others then I would not have anorexia.

Having anorexia is not an enjoyable experience. It is an exhausting, tortourous, living hell. It is not a case of – well this is great for me and I don’t care about anyone else. Everyone involved suffers. Nobody choses this suffering.

Comment 4:

“You make excuses about the reasons why you lost weight because you don’t like admitting to the vanity and insanity of being obsessed with your size.”

A very common misconception is that anorexia is all about looks and vanity. This could not be further from the truth. Sufferers do not destroy their lives simply because they are vain. I, and many others, will actually be well aware that we look very unattractive when we are most unwell. Anorexia is not a pursuit of attractiveness.

Comment 5:

It was your parents who suffered, you were just selfish, they are going to worry for the rest of their life.“

Thank you for highlighting this to me. It may surprise you, but I am well aware of the suffering that my family, and friends, have experienced because of this. I already feel incredibly guilty of what I have put my parents through and I do not need someone else to point this out to me. If I had cancer and needed years of chemotherapy, would this be considered selfish for the suffering that my family would have gone through with that? I think not.
People with anorexia are not selfish. They are unwell. If I could have stopped my illness and therefore the suffering on my parents, I would have.

Comment 6:

“Why is tax payer paying her to recover if she wants to die?”

Yes we should not treat anyone with an illness. Anyone who develops an illness should be left to die. Enough said on that one I think.

I hope that in sharing these hurtful comments about people with eating disorders it helps to highlight why raising awareness and understanding is so important. Hurtful comments about people with eating disorders are not harmless. They are damaging and can really knock people. Why should people who are unwell and suffering from an illness be subjected to such hurtful comments like these? It really is not acceptable and needs to change. It is time to not only raise awareness of mental health, but to educate and put an end to damaging and hurtful beliefs and views like those above.

P.S. I am nominated for Blogger of the Year & Vlogger of the Year at the Mental Health Blog Awards & it would mean the world to me if you could spare two minutes to vote for me: https://www.mhblogawards.com/nominations-voting

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