«I still find it difficult to eat spontaneously»
Nora: «I wanted to avoid calories and set more and more rules: Sweets and fast food are taboo. No more eating after 8pm. And so on. Over time, I lost a lot of weight. At some point I realised myself that this wasn't good. I wanted to eat more, but I was terrified of putting on weight. It was good that I could always talk to my parents about everything. They always supported me.»
All the rules Nora lived by had a strong impact on our family life.
Monika (mother)
Monika: «When Nora started paying attention to her diet, we weren't really worried. But relatively soon her period stopped - that's when I took her to the gynaecologist. She just said that Nora should gain one or two kilos. But then her weight quickly went downhill. Nora wanted to change something herself and went to a nutritional counselling session. But at some point she couldn't do it any more, and in October 2019 Nora went to Zurich University Hospital for treatment. After four months, she was discharged with a normal weight. After that, she saw a doctor and a psychotherapist once a week.»
Nora: «After the clinic, I was able to eat more again. I did things with friends again and was able to complete my apprenticeship as a pharmaceutical assistant. But I was still constantly preoccupied with the topic of nutrition. And it weighed on me that I wanted to eat more but couldn't.»
Monika: «Nora has more or less been able to maintain her weight since then. But her period stopped again, so it was clear that she didn't weigh enough. Because she was now 18, we parents were advised to take a step back. It was very stressful for us to see how the anorexia had her firmly in its grip. And all the rules she lived by had a huge impact on our family life. In April 2023, we became aware of family-based therapy. Nora was sceptical - but she agreed to give it a try. I prepared the meals for her and we agreed that she would eat everything. It was often not easy to cope with her panic about food. But Nora has put on a few kilos and is getting her period regularly again.»
Nora: «I'm feeling better now and I'm doing a lot of voluntary work. However, meeting up with friends is still sometimes difficult because it often involveseating. I also still find it difficult to break self-imposed rules. But we're working on it.»
Monika: «Looking back, we are grateful for all the help Nora received. We think it was a bit of a shame that we as parents were not involved in the treatment very much at first. But I think that something is gradually changing.»
*Names changed by the editors
