A Lychee a Day: Anorexia

Poem on mental health stigma

Hello!

I have something special to share today. I wrote a poem on mental health stigma, a cause which I feel STRONGLY about. Here we are:

Mental Health Stigma

"He's hearing voices? What a freak", they say, judging a person when they have no right

"She's mad, stay away from her", they say, thinking she might violently pick up a fight

But schizophrenia is not something that should define who you are

The suffering and trouble you experience is already enough to scar

"Get a grip and be a man", they say, having no idea how suicidal you feel

"Other people have worse problems", they say, not knowing how you cope and deal

But depression isn't something to be taken so lightly

It's a time when it feels there is no light shining brightly

"Stop trying to lose weight, you're not fat", they say, without thinking that you don't perceive that to eat at ease

"I can see your ribs, that's disgusting", they say, having no clue that you don't see what they see

But anorexia isn't something that means you're selfish and vain

In fact, there's more to it, particularly a lot of pain

"Why are you so awkward and irritable at parties", they say, not understanding that social situations are tough

"Stop worrying so much and always being on edge", they say, failing to see that you’ve already had enough

But anxiety doesn't come with a manual on how to cope

Often you can't do much but sit around and mope

Because mental health problems cannot be paraded on your sleeve

They’re much more common than most of us believe

Discriminating against someone when you haven't walked in their shoes

Labelling them as 'weak' without knowing the cause for their blues

Do we think that's appropriate, would you like to be treated that way?

Each person is priceless, so let your negative thoughts go away

If our bodies can get sick, then why can't our mind?

Health is not only physical, it is social and mental combined

Stigma needs to be reduced, awareness needs to be spread

What if one day you suffer, have you thought that far ahead?

Support, love and care, may be all that they need

Be more accepting, that is all I plead

If they’re seeking treatment, shouldn't you be proud?

They have realised something is wrong, they just need help to be found

Mental health problems need to be further understood, isn't that true?

Learn to be more open-minded, that's the least you can do.

Ayesha Shahid


"Keep your head above the clouds, but your feet on the ground" - Photo taken in Tenerife

Thanks for reading. There's not much more that I want to say, other than that I hope I can help reduce stigma associated around these issues.

Take care lovely people!

Ayesha xxx

12:33 am
5 Comments

So this week is eating disorders awareness week and I thought it would be optimum to talk about eating disorders. The majority of us are focused on our appearance, which normally is okay, but when this leads to extreme behaviours to achieve a certain goal it becomes unhealthy. For the mind and the body.. therefore leading to eating disorders.

Let’s start by mentioning the two main eating disorders: anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN). AN involves the individual trying to remain as ‘thin’ as possible and being significantly underweight. The sufferer may starve themselves, or may use laxatives and force themselves to vomit to avoid chances of weight gain. They will constantly worry that they may gain weight. A major factor of AN involves the individual having an incorrect perception of their body, denying their low weight status. In simpler terms, an AN sufferer may believe they are ‘fat’ (even though they are underweight) and therefore, attempt to become slim by (unhealthily) trying to lose weight.

Bulimia nervosa, contrary to popular belief, does not necessarily mean the sufferer is underweight like AN. Many BN sufferers can have their BMI (body mass index) above their ideal for their height/age. While trying to control weight with restricted eating, BN sufferers tend to present recurrent episodes of uncontrollable binge eating. In such instances, food is often eaten in secret and not for pleasure, with 1000’s of calories being consumed at once. This can lead to feelings of guilt and depression. Of course, the individual would try to counteract their excessive eating episode, by harmful measures (vomiting, use of laxatives). Generally, BN sufferers engage in forced vomiting after eating meals too. Similar to AN, they base their self-evaluation upon their body weight/shape.

http://www.eatingdisordersadvice.co.uk

As you may understand, eating disorders are more serious than most people take them to be. They are unfortunately very common too. YOU CANNOT ALWAYS TELL IF SOMEONE IS SUFFERING FROM AN EATING DISORDER, IT IS NOT JUST ABOUT WEIGHT. A sufferer may not necessarily display low weight, or even if they do, it doesn't mean you'll see it. A person with AN does not seek approval of others (with contrast to BN). BN sufferers typically want to seem attractive to others, whereas in AN the individual is more concerned about how they look for themselves.

The language people use around a sufferer is vital. Constantly praising someone for looking good because they have lost weight can reinforce their belief that they NEED to be slim to be appreciated. This is not true! No one should think that, but of course many do. Unfortunately, society and the media have placed so much emphasis on the idea that being a ‘size 0’ is attractive that a lot of young girls and boys think they need to adhere to that. It is important to understand that what we see in the media is NOT ALWAYS A CORRECT PERCEPTION OF REALITY. There is often a lot of editing and airbrushing that is done on photos of models. It is best to stick with a healthy weight for your age and height (check your BMI) while eating a balanced diet with exercise! If you maintain a healthy lifestyle, your weight will follow!

Eating disorders can be dangerous in many ways, especially to the person’s health. It is necessary that people receive support and help to make this hard time easier for them, and to allow them to come out from their disorder. You can get help from your family/friends, but if you are not comfortable doing that then you can always contact your GP. Other useful sites are:

B-eat (beat eating disorders)

You can also ring their helplines:

Helpline 0845 634 1414

Youthline 0845 634 7650

Student Minds

Time to change

You can ring Get Connected 0808 808 4994

If you spot an eating disorder in someone else, you could save their life by providing them with help. Common signs someone may show are:

- Complaints of being fat

- Missing meals

- You do not see the person eat, even though they claim to have done

- Excessive focus on calories consumed