Dear Diary Blog

About six weeks from now, I will be 70 years old. 70! That feels like a big number, signifying that I have been on this planet for seven decades and entering the eighth. I can hardly believe it! I certainly don’t feel that old, whatever that means. Ten years ago...

For almost 20 years, I have been writing about eating disorders, recovery, and self-discovery. I have drawn on my experience and the voices of many others who have travelled the same path. This week, I’m writing about something different. At 74, I am preparing for something that feels as new...

For many years, anorexia was my protector. For many years, from age 11, I did not know I had an illness called anorexia. I mean, I thought I was me. Period. Sure, I’d been feeling very anxious about things happening around me; things beyond my control. And then what seemed...

For almost 20 years, I have sat down each week to write about eating disorders. I have written about the havoc they cause in minds, bodies, families, and communities. I have shared research, explained treatments, told stories of courage, survival, relapse, and resilience. I have laid bare my own lived...

When anorexia nervosa (AN) develops in a child, it impacts the entire family. However, family-based treatment (FBT) offers hope by reinstating fundamental family coping principles—empowering parents and supporting them and their children in overcoming this serious psychiatric illness. My Kid is Back Second Edition serves as an accessible guide to understanding...

In late 2023, I had a dream: to create a global meeting place for anyone and everyone working toward a better understanding and care for eating disorders. Together with my team, that dream has come to life as CoRe-ED – the Consortium for Research in Eating Disorders  – and I’m...

There was a time when I didn’t know who I was. Not really. Not in the way that lets you walk into a room, make a choice, or even sit with your own thoughts and trust that they’re truly yours. Anorexia nervosa took hold of me when I was 11...

Professor Kim’s reply had arrived in my inbox the previous evening, but I couldn’t bring myself to open it right away. When I opened it the next morning at my desk, I felt relieved. Prof. Kim wrote: It feels like [the eating disorders field is] several decades behind compared to...

New types of weight loss drugs are being touted as life-changing in the “war” on obesity. Television commercials run consecutively, claiming easy access and low prices. And it scares the daylights out of me. I’ve hesitated to write about this thorny subject. At the end of one commercial, the actor...

The most joyful words a parent can say are, “I’ve got my kid back.” With co-author, Professor Daniel Le Grange, I welcome the release of My Kid is Back, Second Edition. This updated and expanded book offers renewed hope, essential knowledge, and practical guidance for families supporting a young person...