There are lots of reasons to NOT seek treatment, and many of them are valid. However, reasonable or not, they are still excuses and they help keep you sick.

Note: While there is REAL research on barriers to treatment, this post only contains my opinion. Maybe I’ll blog about the factual stuff later…

I’m a sucker for lists… especially top-10 lists. So, when I saw a post on the Top 10 Cracks That Addicts Fall Through on Their Way to Recovery, it had my name all over it.
I think that a lot of the same principles that Mark Goulston points out can apply to mental illness in general. A few of them really stood out to me:
Failure to develop new and healthy relationships
I see this two ways:

Old relationships – maintaining unhealthy relationships (people who drag you down in any way, …

…according to Grey Thinking, at least.  I’ve seen so many coping skills lists full of bubble baths, deep breathing, positive affirmations, etc, and really am just bored with them.  Someone needs to come up with some creative and new alternative coping mechanisms!  I might as well start.  Here’s a list of some of my favorite / most-helpful coping skills, that I’ve never seen (or very rarely seen) on any “learning to cope” list.
Five of the most underrated coping skills:

card stores
bulletin boards
kudos charts
crafting
dvds

I have a lot to say about each one …

(in no particular order)

You measure the cost of things in nutrition appointments (ex: That shirt is one nutrition appointment. These shoes are worth two appointments).
You start dressing like your professionals (or maybe, they starts dressing like you…)
“Treatment” is a recurring event with no end date on your calendar.
You’ve never needed to purchase “Eating in the Light of the Moon” because at some point you have been given a photocopy of every chapter.
In group, no one sits in your seat, even when you’re not there (because you’ve been sitting there …

Top 10 Eating Disorder Controversies:
(In my opinion, and not in order of importance)

Full recovery is possible (to the point of being “cured”)
EDs are symptoms of a deep-seeded childhood trauma or toxic environment
Treatment should not be forced upon those who don’t feel ready to recover
Weight gain goals should be 100% of ideal body weight
Meal plans and/or monitored exchange/calorie counting is necessary
Without working through the underlying psychological causes of the eating disorder, one cannot completely recover
Anorexia, Bulimia, and Binge Eating Disorder are all on one disordered eating continuum
Society is largely to blame …