When people say that they believe one is worse than the other, it pisses me off hugely, particularly if that person has only suffered from one of the two. I've heard bulemia specifically called "the weak person's anorexia", and is generally seen as less dramatic, even though its effects are just as devastating as severe anorexia. My experiences with both have been different, and in their different ways hard to combat. this is in no way a comparison in the two, I'm just going to relay my personal experiences of each, and explain how they are devastating in their own ways.
Bulemia became an issue in my life aged 12, and lasted for just under 2 years, then turned into the occasional purge over 5 or 6 months, before I began starving myself. Bulemia is far easier to hide; there is no sudden weight loss, you still eat with family, you aren't tired and fainting all the time... and although that might sound like "advantages", it actually can be what makes it so dangerous. Bullemics can continue for years without ever being found out or receiving help. During the years I would make myself sick 5 or 6 times a day, I wouldn't necessarily feel like it was affecting my health; I generally felt, fine. Sick, yes. Tired, yes. Sad, definitely. But ill? No, it was just something I did.
Anorexia was a very different story, and it all began shortly after my 14th birthday. Anorexia is immediate. It's sudden. After just one week of starvation, of the anorexic mindset, my entire life was controlled, thrown into turmoil. I couldn't focus on anything, I felt faint and dizzy and unbearably hungry all the time. It really was horrible. My family noticed after just 4 months of rapid weight loss and a sudden lack of eating, and immediately got me psychiatric help. So it was discovered almost immediately, and my thoughts definitely felt disordered, although to this day I refuse to accept I had an eating disorder, despite having been diagnosed.
So to compare these two experiences is absolutely impossible. Bulemia has been a harder set of habits to break. Even as I type, I can still feel the acid burning in my throat from purging up dinner; the habits are so inviting to fall back into. Anorexia was far harder as I was going through it, starvation is directly proportional to how much you eat: I felt depressed all the time, and I felt very very ill. I think the thing is with habits regarding bulemia is that even if you manage to force yourself through the anorexic heartwrenching before a meal, you still have the guilt there. Bulemia enables you to act on that guilt.
Most people go through these two the other way round for that very reason; in fact, it is very rare to go through these illnesses in the order that I did. I am still fighting my demons, and they both pose challenges for me as I move through my recovery. Never belittle either, for they are unbelievably challenging and traumatic experiences, each in their own way.
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