[Ammi]

I knew someone with anorexia years ago. She was a beautiful girl with a fantastic figure. Her parents had high expectations of her and she didn't have the same plans for her future that they did and felt as though she was being pushed into a direction she didn't want to go. When she stopped eating, for her, It wasn't about how she looked, it was about taking some control in her life. She said if she could use such self control in not eating the things that gave her pleasure, she felt more powerful and in control. She didn't think about or blocked out what her body started to look like because she wanted to keep that control. In fact she always avoided even looking in the mirror. She was ok in the end but it was after many years and a very supportive partner. Her parents however couldn't help because the more they tried to encourage her to eat, the more she felt they were trying to take away her control so she resisted more.