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In this video, we hear from a teenager who had an eating disorder. She tells a wonderful story about her lows, and then how she recovered. Importantly, she attributes her recovery primarily to her family’s support and love.

It makes our hearts sing to listen to her, because she believes in the power of love, and the idea that parents can provide the love their teens need to thrive after having an eating disorder.

Interview Highlights

• She believes that her eating disorder was a product of anxiety.
• In middle school, her anxiety, which had been latent since she was much younger, spiked. She responded to her rising anxiety by isolating and ostracizing herself from her friends.
• Her friends pulled back from her in response. She doesn’t blame them, and understands that they didn’t know how to handle what she was going through.
• One of her lowest points was when, after a period of starving herself, she engaged in a massive binge-eating episode. Following the episode, she looked at herself in the mirror and felt worthless and undeserving of love. The only thing she could think of doing next was going back to starving herself.
• Another low point was when she was at the dinner table and realized that she felt deep emptiness, and she realized that she was always feeling that way. She worried that she would never recover.
• Finally, she hit “rock bottom” and considered suicide. Then she realized “I can’t do this. I have a life ahead, and I have a story to tell. This cannot be the end of my story.”
• She reached out for help once she felt she was worthy of love. She left school for a while to heal.
• Her family was her primary healing team. She talked to them about how she felt, and their support and love helped her heal.
• Today, she is passionate about helping others who have mental health issues.

This video was provided to us by TeenzTalk.org, an organization dedicated to “creating a platform for all teens to come together in a positive environment.” Please visit the organization’s website for more information and to view more videos from teens struggling with mental illness.

See Our Guide For Parenting a Teenager With An Eating Disorder