4 ms·

Quote: "The advice was not encouraging." What would be encouraging to hear?

by jostmey 9y ago

zelos 9y ago
"There's another 30 hours of counseling and therapy available" (which at ~£50/hr is presumably a lot cheaper than a stay in ICU)
- frabcus 9y ago
  This is what drives me mad. Professional therapy that actually works and can help patients solve the underlying self-esteem issues from childhood isn't easily available to people suffering from anorexia. More generally, I would argue that if we increased tax and gave everyone as much therapy as they need, the money would be saved by reducing sick days for businesses, reducing other healthcare costs, and increasing productivity of mental well people. I think we should do it even if it wouldn't save that money, but intuitively it feels like it would, so it makes not doing it even crazier... Does any country already do this? It would seem a humane and powerful way to beat other countries / lead the world (pick whatever motivates you).
DanBC 9y ago
> The advice was not encouraging. Since I’d already been given the treatment available in my borough, and my weight was only just within the ‘anorexic range’ (below a body mass index of 17), I was told I’d be better off registering with a university GP with access to better mental health services. Anorexia is not about a person's weight, but about their disordered thoughts of food and eating. When someone is doing the right thing and seeking early intervention for those disordered thoughts we should be providing them with a package of care to treat them. We know early intervention is life saving, and is more effective and cheaper than later intervention. By forcing someone to wait until their BMI drops we're saying "come back when you're thinner" -- and that's a lethal thing to say to someone with an eating disorder. Anorexia is one of the most fatal mental illnesses.

4 ms·

Quote: "The advice was not encouraging." What would be encouraging to hear?

by jostmey 9y ago

Quote: "The advice was not encouraging." What would be encouraging to hear?

zelos 9y ago
"There's another 30 hours of counseling and therapy available" (which at ~£50/hr is presumably a lot cheaper than a stay in ICU)
- frabcus 9y ago
  This is what drives me mad. Professional therapy that actually works and can help patients solve the underlying self-esteem issues from childhood isn't easily available to people suffering from anorexia. More generally, I would argue that if we increased tax and gave everyone as much therapy as they need, the money would be saved by reducing sick days for businesses, reducing other healthcare costs, and increasing productivity of mental well people. I think we should do it even if it wouldn't save that money, but intuitively it feels like it would, so it makes not doing it even crazier... Does any country already do this? It would seem a humane and powerful way to beat other countries / lead the world (pick whatever motivates you).
DanBC 9y ago
> The advice was not encouraging. Since I’d already been given the treatment available in my borough, and my weight was only just within the ‘anorexic range’ (below a body mass index of 17), I was told I’d be better off registering with a university GP with access to better mental health services. Anorexia is not about a person's weight, but about their disordered thoughts of food and eating. When someone is doing the right thing and seeking early intervention for those disordered thoughts we should be providing them with a package of care to treat them. We know early intervention is life saving, and is more effective and cheaper than later intervention. By forcing someone to wait until their BMI drops we're saying "come back when you're thinner" -- and that's a lethal thing to say to someone with an eating disorder. Anorexia is one of the most fatal mental illnesses.