When I was 14, my parents used the Maudsley Method to try to coax me out of a stubborn eating disorder. Like Harriet’s daughter, I was not allowed to sleep, shower, or maintain any level of hygiene. I did not eat or sleep for 3 days. This stress on an already severely underweight body took a brutal toll. I was admitted to the hospital and quickly transferred to the ICU, when it was found that my heart was beating irregularly. However, after about a week I was discharged, having reached a daily caloric intake of about 1200. When I got home, the Maudsley method was re-implemented, this time attacking “fear foods” or foods that I had avoided for years. When I tried to leave the table, I was “restrained”. My dad and I would wrestle for hours until finally he was literally on top of me, pushing my pressure points to deter me from doing leg lifts. I was kicked, hit, and strangled by my father, a man who had never laid a hand on me before. So before you choose Maudsley, please consider the possibility that the fear involved in watching your child starve is sometimes a stressor that leads to terrible situations. Also consider that parents simply do not have the equipment or expertise of a hospital setting. After my parents realized Maudsley was not working, they admitted me to Alexian Brothers Behavioral Health Hospital where I worked with nutritionists, therapists, and doctors. Thanks to them, I have been fully recovered for three years.
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When I was 14, my parents used the Maudsley Method to try to coax me out of a stubborn eating disorder. Like Harriet’s daughter, I was not allowed to sleep, shower, or maintain any level of hygiene. I did not eat or sleep for 3 days. This stress on an already severely underweight body took a brutal toll. I was admitted to the hospital and quickly transferred to the ICU, when it was found that my heart was beating irregularly. However, after about a week I was discharged, having reached a daily caloric intake of about 1200. When I got home, the Maudsley method was re-implemented, this time attacking “fear foods” or foods that I had avoided for years. When I tried to leave the table, I was “restrained”. My dad and I would wrestle for hours until finally he was literally on top of me, pushing my pressure points to deter me from doing leg lifts. I was kicked, hit, and strangled by my father, a man who had never laid a hand on me before. So before you choose Maudsley, please consider the possibility that the fear involved in watching your child starve is sometimes a stressor that leads to terrible situations. Also consider that parents simply do not have the equipment or expertise of a hospital setting. After my parents realized Maudsley was not working, they admitted me to Alexian Brothers Behavioral Health Hospital where I worked with nutritionists, therapists, and doctors. Thanks to them, I have been fully recovered for three years.
October 15, 2010 - 10:46amThis Comment
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