NYTimes: Patient Voices Eating Disorders

NYTimes Interactive Feature: Patient Voices: Eating Disorders.

This is an interactive gallery of voices of people who have recovered from eating disorders. I think a lot of us think of eating disorders as something that affect young teenage girls. That it's something we can leave behind in middle school, or something that happens behind the closed doors of sorority houses. But that's really not the case...

A few people who I've come out to about my hair pulling problems have talked about their own struggles with eating disorders. In way, they understand, and that made me feel much less alone. That has mostly prompted me to post this link and recommend it to everyone.

I've known a lot of people who have gone through this during my life: two roommates, countless friends. I even knew a guy who was obsessed with diet and exercise, and I'm not sure if he has since recovered. Someone I really care about is dealing with it now, and it's been on my mind.

And, from those to whom I've spoken that have recovered and from the people on this website--an eating disorder, like a hair pulling disorder or an obsessive compulsive disorder--is difficult but you can overcome it! So many people I've known have been able to pull through and go on to do amazing things: start their own businesses, land great jobs, build communities in Africa, or just be plain old amazing people. People can get through it. And I know from experience that sometimes you're in the grips of a disorder you feel like you can't ever stop, and every day that I've been recovering it feels surreal that I am slowly leaving that all behind. But it's totally possible! Just breathe... and I think we can all get through this together.