The Mirror Never Lies

Would you recognise the symptoms of anorexia or bulimia? How would you help a child who develops one of these illnesses? Would you be sympathetic to a mental illness or would you take the view that the child was being silly and irresponsible.

There is enormous pressure on today's children to be slim. Many of their role models are excessively thin - just look at Posh Spice and Calista Flockhart - and for some, being thin becomes equated with success and popularity. Dieting is not unusual among teenagers and it is terribly easy to carry it too far. It is not so easy to recover without a lot of support and understanding. Anorexia and bulimia are addictive illnesses in which the sufferer lies and conceals to attempt to cover up the addiction. There is a large amount of self-deception as the sufferer may see a fat person in the mirror even although those around him/her see an emaciated one. The sufferer does not want help as he/she is terrified of becoming fat.

This book was written by someone who herself suffered both anorexia and bulimia for sixteen years. It describes in detail how she damaged her health and jeopardised her family relationships and friendships through an illness to which she was not willing to admit. It also describes her struggle back to normal healthy eating. The latter sections of the book give practical advice for normal healthy eating and describe the physical side effects of not having a healthy diet.

Cat No: 978 1 86083 655 8