Why blog about eating disorders?
3 December 2008
12 Comments
What’s the value of mental health blogging? I stumbled upon this post on The Secret Life of a Manic Depressive, where Seaneen discusses the role that blogging has played in her struggle with bipolar disorder. At the end of the post she poses a question:
What are your views on mental health blogging? If you have a blog, why did you start writing it?
I wrote this in her comments (in case it sounds familiar), but I think that mental health blogging is valuable for several reasons:
- It can provide a healthy outlet for dealing with feelings surrounding your own struggles with mental illness.
- It’s comforting to know that “you’re not alone”–there are other people out there struggling with the same things as you. Often another person can articulate something that you’ve been trying to explain/identify/put your finger on for a long time.
- Community support and wisdom. There is a lot of collective and experience within the mental health blogging community.
- It provides a unique inside look at otherwise poorly understood mental illnesses. How many people really understand how you view/experience the world with a disorder? How does the media affect you? What do you think about current research? What has/hasn’t been helpful for you treatment-wise? There is so much information that only someone who has struggled with mental illness can provide.
- You can challenge others… challenge them in their recovery, or to look at something from another perspective, or to break through their denial about a problem. Mental health blogs make you think and examine your own reactions
Why did I start Grey Thinking? Well, for all of the reasons above–plus a couple more:
- I have a lot of opinions on new research, eating disorders in the media, approaches to treatment, etc. My friends were getting tired of listening to my philosophical views of “what is wrong with the DSM-IV,” etc.
- I have a psychology degree, an eating disorder history, an endless interest in mental health, and web design experience. I felt that this was a good way to combine my personal struggles, knowledge, and interests.
- Not that I am objective, but I think that having dealt with an eating disorder I have a different perspective of eating disorders in the media, treatment approaches, popular theory, etc.
- There are not enough mental health blogs out there
I agree with you on the importance of mental health blogging. If it hadn’t been for others writings/thoughts/emotions, I know I would be struggling much more in attempt to stay in recovery.
I am recovering eating disordered and author a blog on eating disorder awareness and education that also discusses related issues of feminism, size acceptance, mental health, etc… I’m a journalist, so words are simply the best way I have to express myself. And I always say that while I am glad others find comfort in my writings and experiences, I blog first and foremost for my own well being. I find blogging to be an incredible force in my own recovery. It helps keep me on track and reminds me of where I’ve been and where I don’t want to return.
My graduate research in history is on the social history of food and food-related disorders. Earlier this year I conducted a survey of more than 200 bloggers with eating disorders to see if blogging is an effective form of therapy for them. The response was overwhelmingly affirmative. I plan to release the full results of the survey soon.
Well I already answered on Seaneen’s blog, but I said:
“It really helps far beyond any therapy or medication that I have tried. it’s not just being able to record thoughts and dispatch of them, the commenting and recieving of comments is a brilliant alternative group therapy method. It makes me feel both useful and cared about. I think I am able to be honest about things on my blog which I would never have the courage to admit to someones face.
It is also a fantastic resource of information, and just knowing that ideas which in my head seem so twisted and unique, are shared by numerous others, eradicates the element of shame surrounding mental illness. When I have an appointment which does not go well and I am made to feel small or that my opinion is invalid because of my mental health, it helps to be able to share it with others who understand. It confirms that just by having a few beliefs which may not fit into a psychiatric matrix as being well balanced, doesn’t negate the validity of my opinions, nor my status as a human being. It is a double edged sword most definiately, but the risk has been worth it so far, and I hope it continues to prove therapeutic to everyone else.”
And that says it all really. It’s doubly helpful from an ED perspective, just because of the isolation that en ED brings. Cutting myself off from people is a classic sign that I am slipping, and my blog helps me feel considerably less alone. Plus the sense of recovery morale is awesome, in the ED corner of the blogosphere.
[...] Grey Thinking asks Why blog about eating disorders? [...]
Sarah — it’s great that there are ED blogs which serve as a source of support for you. There are definitely some blogs/specific posts that have motivated me to keep-on with my recovery.
Rachel — I am VERY interested to read the results of your study. I think it is great that you have been able to use your blog to aid in your research. There are so many intelligent people who frequent your blog and I think that their insights and personal experiences would be very valuable.
Lola — I like your comparison between ED blogs and group therapy. While I think that physically interacting with (and reacting to) others plays an important role, blogs avoid a lot of inherent group therapy problems (competitiveness specifically comes to mind).
Thanks for everyone’s feedback, as always!
Well, I’m no expert having just jumped in…But already there is something that’s really striking to me: now that I’m really looking at all of these blogs I realize that there is much more online than just ditsy dismay and pro-ana/mia sites. The past several days I’ve been so impressed with the thoughtful, intelligent, and supportive discussions I’ve found. It’s certainly given me a lot of strength for the time being. Thanks!
Your second point in your last section really resonates with me as I think I am similar to you. Except that I am *currently* studying for my Psychology BSc at University and I am literally just coming to terms with my eating disorder (as I originally believed it to be disordered eating and therefore not a problem, when in actual fact I’ve realised it’s escalated and thus a little more serious not to mention my ability of self-deception in realising this scares me quite a bit).
Anyways, I also have experience in web design (and blogging- but not about personal issues) and I have been contemplating starting a blog about the insights I am steadily learning about my ED on my journey to recovery. So thank you for this post as I think I may just start a blog in the New Year (when I make my major steps to recovery) as I am already questioning my behaviours and have learnt some things that are quite shocking and honest. A blog would be a good outlet and I hope other people who have suffered/are suffering from an ED can relate to me (if they ever stumble upon it).
I also think it is important to start to tip the scales so to speak on the number of pro-ED blogs and communities out there. It’s great to read blogs from intelligent people who aren’t attention-seeking in that respect. <– I am dreading my parents and people that I love finding out about my ED but mostly because of the ‘information’ that is out there on the web. If they searched “eating disorders” in Google I would be so ashamed if hundreds of pro-ana websites came up because I am not from that segment of the population with an ‘eating disorder’. Mine has been a secret for years because it is a deeply private (and at times, humiliating) problem.
So thank you, for you have certainly inspired me
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I started my blog as a way for me to get support from otheres dealing with the same thing. I continue to blog to try to inspire and help others.
Dana xo
I started my blog as a way for me to get support from otheres dealing with the same thing. I continue to blog to try to inspire and help others.
Ramona — So glad to hear that you’ve been able to find support in some healthy eating disorder blogs (and to have you as a reader of Grey Thinking!).
Sonia — I definitely encourage you to use a blog as a recovery tool. I have never been one for journaling but have found blogs to be a great outlet for challenging my thoughts/beliefs.
Hopefully, if your parents google eating disorders they will come across quality sites like NEDA, NIMH, and Something-Fishy.