| 1986 |
|
Met my current boyfriend.
|
| 1987 |
|
Left my
family home in Germany for the UK. |
| 1992 |
|
First signs of an
eating disorder. |
| 1993 |
|
Spent 4 months in
psychiatric hospital. |
| 1996 |
|
Cancelled my wedding
because of my illness. |
| 2000 |
|
Founded 'GEMINI',
my self-help and support group. |
| 2000 |
|
Bought my first
puppy - a border collie called Corrie. |
| 2000 |
|
Lots of rejections
in my efforts to find work. |
I'm 30 and I live in Kent. I used to work in the accounts
section of a private hospital; now I'm studying for a diploma
and I do a lot of voluntary work.
When I was 22, I went on a diet. Things in my life felt a
bit out of control at that point, and it seemed like my eating
was the only thing I could control. Over time I developed
anorexia. In the end, my weight dropped to five stone and
I became seriously ill. I was told that if I didn't go into
hospital, I'd be dead within the week. So I went.
I struggled with anorexia for seven years. What finally helped
me was therapy, exploring the underlying issues that had led
to the illness. I feel I've been through hell with my anorexia
- but I've learnt so much, about myself and about other people.
If I could turn back the clock today, I'd choose not to do
it.
Now I really want to help people who are going through what
I did. I've got a counselling certificate and have set up
a support group and a website. I think one of the jobs that
needs doing is to educate the wider public about the seriousness
of anorexia. When I was ill, people would say things like
"you're all skin and bones - why don't you just eat?"
They obviously just didn't know how to deal with what was
happening to me.
Discrimination - my experience:
I'm thirty now, and I'm finding it quite difficult to
get work. I complete the application forms, but never
get invited for interviews. I can't understand it, because
I fulfil all the criteria. It's hard to prove it's because
of my mental health problems, but I can't think of any
other explanation. I'm always totally honest about my
psychiatric history: I'm determined not to hide what's
happened to me, and I'm proud of getting through it. I
think my worst job-hunting experience was when I went
for a health care assistant post. It was already below
my qualifications. But they only seemed interested in
getting me to apply for a cleaning job.  |
|
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