The Sydney Feminists

Something was awry. And not just the fact that I was being hospitalised for my levels of emotional distress. This new psychiatrist was altogether too interested in me. He started stroking one hand with the other, a suggestive movement which recalled to me the letter I’d sent the mental health staff which included a reference to an orgasm-free masturbation session I’d had which had gotten me thinking about the deeper reasons behind me being hospitalised. No stranger to sexual predators, I offered him my complete silence, and a defiant stare. I let him know, nonverbally, that I knew what he was up to, and I was not going to fall for his trap. It worked. He was fuming by the time he ended the session with me. I relaxed a bit, but not much. For a mentally vulnerable 22 year old woman, the ward was a place full of menace. Some of that was from the patients (like the man who addressed all the females of the ward by the c word, volubly, and who made to harm one of the female nur...

Nowadays, when we know about another person suffering from mental illnesses (eating disorders are definitely included!), we tend to think different things: I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO SAY / it's not my business anyway / they seem fine / they have close friends to help them / they're not asking for help, so why should I talk to them first? Because of those thoughts, we end up not helping them out. Who knows what positive impact you may have had on them if you asked a simple, "How have your eating habits been lately?" But sometimes, even those with good intentions have no idea  how to approach and help those facing mental illnesses. You are here to help your loved ones who are going through binge eating disorder. Mental illnesses are still stigmatized and not talked about openly at all and enough in our society. It starts with us - you must not feel scared or embarrassed to talk to your loved one about mental illnesses. Here are 5 top tips for you to help a l...