Eating disorders: women overcome the fight against anorexia

Harriet Harrex recalls feeling stunned when a doctor told her that they were going to send her home to die because there was nothing else they could do.

At the time, the then 27-year-old weighed 32 kg and was at the lowest point in her fight against anorexia nervosa, a serious and life-threatening illness that causes a distorted body image and an unwarranted fear of being overweight.

It was Friday, August 23 of last year. Or, as she describes it, her darkest day.

Harrex’s story comes as New Zealand sees an alarming increase in demand for eating disorder services during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Now 28, Harrex wants to share his experience to help raise awareness of anorexia, the leading cause of death among psychiatric illnesses, and to help remove the stigma associated with the illness.

“I want people to know that there is hope, there is light at the end of the tunnel. You can recover. I wish I had known that when I was at the bottom.”

Harrex had just finished a bachelor’s degree in nutrition at the University of Otago when his illness returned.

“I just remember feeling this feeling that things are not in my control. I thought I would just lose a little weight and that everything would be fine and then I started to feel more and more bad until last year when it got really bad. worse than it had ever been in my life.

“I remember thinking that I could actually die.”

She said that after being admitted to the hospital for two weeks, her doctor told her there was nothing more they could do.

“They said ‘we will send you home to die.’

As a “last resort,” Harrex said his Dunedin doctor was trying to get him a bed in the mental health unit at Princess Margaret Hospital in Christchurch, but that there was a long waiting list. It is the only place on the South Island that treats patients with severe eating disorders.

“He didn’t know if he could get a bed or if he would still be alive at that time.”

Fortunately, two weeks later he received a call: there was a free bed.

“On that first phone call, I actually turned him down because I was so scared to go and leave my husband and I didn’t know how long it would be.”

He realized that it was his last chance to survive and accepted the bed. She spent eight weeks recovering from an illness that has haunted her since she was 14 years old.

When he was 15 years old, he spent six months in a mental health unit in Porirua.

“At that time I thought it was a disease that would accompany me for life, but I want people to know that you can recover and that there is hope.”

Nicki Wilson, president of the Eating Disorders Association of New Zealand (EDANZ), said she had seen four times the number of inquiries and calls online compared to last year.

Wilson said part of the reason for the increase is because people feel isolated, which amplifies their eating disorder. The other reason was that people were spending more time during the confinement with their families, who were picking up the signals.

Genevieve Mora, co-founder of the mental health charity Voices of Hope and an eating disorder survivor, said she had also had an influx of people battling eating disorders and reaching out to her for support during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“My days are full of people reaching out, desperate for help. Services are overloaded and something needs to be done. We need to work collaboratively to find a solution,” Mora said.

But Wilson said that kiwis struggling with eating disorders often face barriers to receiving treatment.

He said GPs did not receive enough education and support about the disease and patients needed early diagnosis and referral to health services for rapid evidence-based treatment.

“People suffer unnecessarily, their illnesses get worse, recovery is more difficult, families suffer.”

He said that the specialized services provided by the district health boards were under-resourced and the waiting lists were unacceptably long, and the situation was getting worse.

“We just don’t have the workforce to meet the demand; we need more people trained in mental health and specialized in helping people with eating disorders.”

Families were a key resource in recovery, he said, but parents and caregivers needed knowledge, skills and support.

“We do not have the data necessary to demonstrate the size and nature of the problem for affected people, families, the health system and the community as a whole. The government is funding a service and not measuring the results.

But EDANZ is still there to offer patient support and resources for caregivers of people with eating disorders.

“Eating disorders are treatable and recovery is possible at any age and at any stage.”

New app to help New Zealanders struggling with an eating disorder:

Mora was contacted by Hannah Hardy Jones, who 18 months ago launched an app called Kite for Mums, a platform to help moms fight postpartum depression.

The couple have collaborated to start a new app called Love your Kite specifically for people with eating disorders. Mora said that the kite symbolizes freedom and well-being.

The application will include more than 40 custom modules, with practical tools that will be shared every day. Topics will include stress management, coping with anxiety, self-esteem, relationships, having a recovery mindset, and specific support for caregivers.

The couple emphasized that they were not clinical experts and that the app was intended only as a gateway to help people take the next step in seeking medical help or to act as additional support.

They launched a Pledge Me campaign to raise $ 25,000 before October 6, which will allow them to create the app and give away 10,000 subscriptions free of charge to those who cannot afford it. The app will run on a donation / koha model.

They have already raised over $ 7,500.

“Our hope is that Love your Kite will fill the gap. We are not suggesting that this app resource should be used in lieu of professional support, but rather that it will be used in conjunction with it,” said Hardy-Jones.

Where to get help:

• EDANZ: 0800 2 EDANZ or (09) 522 2679. For more information, click here.
• Life line: 0800 543 354 (available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week)
• Suicide Crisis Helpline: 0508 828 865 (0508 SUPPORT) (available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week)
• Youth services: (06) 3555 906
• Youthline: 0800 376 633
• Kidsline: 0800 543 754 (available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week)
• Whatsup: 0800 942 8787 (from 13:00 to 23:00)
• Helpline for depression: 0800 111 757 (available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week)
• Rainbow Youth: (09) 376 4155
• Helpline: 1737
If it is an emergency and you feel that you or someone else is at risk, call 111.