Eating Disorders: Beautiful Slim World?
Physically and psychologically in the end, emaciated, desperate and lonely: This was the condition of the 29-year-old Daniela Kühne, when she was in May 2001 for her campaign "Beautiful slim world?" took pictures. She had spent more than half of her life controlling her weight: she became anorexic at the age of eleven, had binge eating at 17, and became bulimic at 19. Ten years later, the scale showed only 35 kilos. High time to turn back.
Mute cry for help
A starved body in an overflowing society is a paradox that can not be attributed solely to the merciless dictatorship of beauty ideals. The causes of eating disorders are manifold - but they are always the expression of psychological conflicts that are carried out self-destructively over the own body. Maja Langsdorff, author of the book "The secret addiction to eat scary," describes the psychosomatic illness as the silent cry for help of those "who do not want to attract attention, shy conflicts and make themselves dependent on the opinion of others". According to estimates by the German Institute of Nutritional Medicine and Dietetics (DIET), 600,000 people in Germany alone are affected by anorexia or bulimia.
Total self-control
Daniela Kühnes illness is not unusual. For years she practices excessive sports, suffering from anorexia, binge eating and bulimia. "I ate controlled, I lived controlled, sport and food, that was my life content," describes the Stuttgart her youth. Even as a 11-year-old she trains figure skating every day. When a doctor is diagnosed with underweight, her parents make her gain three kilos. The girl begins to disgust herself in front of her body and defiantly makes her first diet. Successful, because the three kilos are down again after ten days. But it is the beginning of a vicious circle: "The topic of diet began to dominate my life, it was next to the figure skating my second world, my life content." Kalorienabellen instead of eating ice cream, self-control instead of exuberance.
Life goal: losing weight
When the parents find out, they blackmail the daughter: No more training without therapy. But the psychologist can not help. Binge fits replace the hunger cures. Tennis replaces the figure skating. In vain the 16-year-old tries to keep her weight under control through excessive sport. Then, just before graduation, she finds the "solution": bulimia. The bill seems to work, because everywhere she receives recognition for the "'dream-body, which she conquers herself". The price is a life of isolation and depression, without friends, relationships, closeness.
Supermarket and toilet bowl
At the age of 25 followed by a behavioral therapy stay, then a one-and-a-half-year psychoanalysis, which makes her lean to 40 kilos. But finally she learns to go her own way. Against the will of her parents, she enforces her career aspiration and becomes a copywriter. Nevertheless, "Like a diabetic who has to inject himself three times a day, I had to vomit after the meal, meal by meal, day by day, week by week, year by year, my life took place between a desk, a supermarket, and a toilet bowl . "
Naked facts
At some point she realizes that her environment no longer takes her seriously. This painful realization moves the 29-year-old to confront herself and the public with the "bare facts" of her illness. Her "Beautiful Slim World?" Campaign, for which she was photographed by photographer Chon Choi, now helps her to normalize her life as much as possible under medical and psychotherapeutic supervision. She is on her way, she has gained just under 15 kilos. But there are no standard therapies for people with eating disorders. For Daniela Kühne, it is the creative "campaign of her life" that gives her strength on the long road to recovery.
Help on the Internet
The first and most difficult step is - as with other addictions - to admit that you are ill and need help. Various non-profit organizations (see below) provide information on eating disorders and their treatment options. Self-help groups, individual and group therapies, stays in psychosomatic clinics and therapeutic living communities are offered.
Internet addresses Information and addresses of therapeutically assisted living communities. With test: Am I disturbed ?: www.anad.de Internet site for people with nutrition and eating problems: www.essprobleme.de Site for those affected and relatives.Tips, help and information about the disease: www.magersucht.de The Association "Hungry Online e.V." runs informative websites on anorexia and bulimia: www.hungrig-online.de In our forum "Essen - Genuss oder Frust?" Interested parties exchange: to the forum
