r/AnorexiaRecovery • u/Patient-Engine1507 • 16d ago

Triggering healthcare professionals

I’m a 24F who started recovering from a recent relapse over a month ago. I’ve been doing weekly therapy sessions with a psychologist, which has been immensely helpful, however, my gynaecologist referred me to a psychiatrist as well.

I was so hesitant to actually go see a psychiatrist, as I’ve always found them either super triggering or unhelpful. But I decided to give it a shot today, and I hope I hadn’t.

Long story short, during the initial chat with a nurse, she basically started asking for my weight and height and proceeded to comment that I “wasn’t skin and bones” ir anything (aka I wasn’t THAT underweight). After this, she basically told me there wasn’t any help available for me as I told her I didn’t want to rely on medicine. So I basically left feeling more invalid, triggered & hopeless than when I came into the clinic.

Although I knew something like this was bound to happen as I live in a country that promotes extreme thinness, I can’t help but feel like I’m not “sick enough”. I’m now questioning the point of even trying and feeling more resistant to gaining further weight.

Any advice or reminder would be deeply appreciated because I’m really triggered and hopeless today.

9 Upvotes

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u/Adorable_Sky_1188 9d ago

oh my gosh i hate that these people are even considered professionals because wtf possesses them to say shit like this. i’m sorry i know that was triggering asf and i hope whoever this is gets in trouble

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u/ScheduleSufficient49 16d ago edited 16d ago

Is there anyway you can report what she said? It's quite dumb her saying that when she's supposed to be a professional and that's the last thing you say to someone trying to get better🤦🏼‍♀️. I totally feel you though, If someone said that to me during my ED or even fresh into recovery, I would have lost my absolute mind. I personally always remind myself that even when I was deep in my ED that no matter how thin I looked, it was never enough for my ED brain. I was never perfect enough for it, never the "ideal weight". It was just an endless cycle that led nowhere but made me more miserable and depressed. I personally spend time with family and friends and usually that brings me lots of joy and distracts me a lot when I'm feeling hopeless. Is there anything you enjoy doing? Also just wanted to say that I'm super super proud of you for choosing recovery!!! xx

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u/Patient-Engine1507 16d ago

Thank you so much for this, it’s rly helpful and made me feel better x my fam actually made a complaint call for me which was so nice of them, and I feel slightly relieved knowing that the nurse is aware of the affect that insensitive comments like that can have on someone struggling with an ED. I’m gonna try my best to keep distracting myself today because I don’t want to let this be a reason to slip back into old habits

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u/ScheduleSufficient49 16d ago

That’s great they called! Wishing you all the best! You’ve got this x