As a teenage boy with anorexia I couldn't find words to describe my mental illness

Not all silence on mental health problems is down to stigma. Sometimes it’s difficult to articulate what’s wrong

You can’t talk about mental health without talking about stigma. Personally, I don’t like talking about stigma – the more you talk about something, the more you entrench it. People often cite fear of stigma as the reason they don’t talk about their mental illness, but I think it runs deeper than that.

Before I was anorexic I’d always assumed people with mental illness knew they weren’t well. But on reflection that’s ridiculous. My Dad has diabetes. He had it for years before anyone realised and no one expected him to innately know. Sometimes you’re too close to your own life to gain perspective; it’s like trying to make sense of a painting if you’re only inches from it.

Related: Why don't men seek help for eating disorders?

Continue reading... October 17, 2017 at 02:19PM