Margaret – 16/07/04
I have been a close friend of an anorexia/bulimia sufferer for many years and as a person who really enjoys eating a healthy diet I found it difficult to understand how she felt and why a slim person could be so preoccupied with dieting. I wish I had then read “The Silent Scream” in which Sally Rhodes gives a firsthand account of her sufferings with bulimia and her ultimate recovery.
I read with great concern the article in the Christchurch Press 24/6/04 about the serious increases in the number of bulimia cases among schoolgirls. Some experts attribute the increase to the impact of the recent anti-obesity publicity. The illness usually results from a number of underlying causes, but the emphasis on the dangers of obesity could be the added factor that leads to serious symptoms.
I strongly recommend bulimia sufferers and their family and friends to read “The Silent Scream” as it will help them to understand how the illness affects sufferers and Sally’s ultimate recovery will give them hope. Her open discussion of her traumas and her fluctuations between hope and despair make compelling reading.
One of the distressing results of anorexia/bulimia is the impact on relationships. Lack of understanding can lead to friction, family stresses and broken relationships.
To help you understand, read “The Silent Scream” by Sally Rhodes, published by Caxton Press, Christchurch. It was written to help fulfil this need.