AJN’s August Issue: A Metaphorical Prison, a Found Manuscript, a Nurse Carries the Torch, More
Posted: Saturday, July 28th, 2012 Filed under: Uncategorized 6 Comments »
AJN’s August issue is now available on our Web site. Here's a selection of what not to miss, including two continuing education (CE) articles, which you can access for free.
Nurses play a crucial role in inpatient programs for anorexia in adolescents, but how do the patients view them? Our Original Research article, "An Inpatient Program for Adolescents with Anorexia Experienced as a Metaphorical Prison…
Amazing article likening (particular) eating disorder treatments to a Prison.
Interesting.
From my experience, it’s not just ED treatment programs, but psych wards in general could easily fall into this comparison.
Yeah, totally agree about it being that way (if not worse) in all psych wards.. which I think is a very outdated way to treat mental illness considering how much more we know about the topic now. I think ignoring this, and refusing to develop MH treatments accordingly is pretty unethical and inhumane, not to mention ineffective.
I suspect this was the particular hospital I used to go to. Can’t find any references though.
Yes psych wards can function ‘like a prison’ but the TRUE prison is the disease itself. After having it for years on end (I speak from personal experience) the ED becomes a prison trapping you, stealing your control as the disease consumes you completely. I was never in the hospital for an ED as a teen because my family didn’t notice anything but themselves. So my experience with psych wards were for depression.
As an adult in recovery I know the true prison was having a disease that causes you to miss out on living life fully. If I had known then what I know now about eating disorders I’d have sought help sooner. My brain was not functioning properly due to starvation/underfeeding myself. Once I started to get better (14 years later) I realized my thinking was altered for the better.
Sorry to have talked about myself so much, it runs in the family! LOL
you’re so right – ED’s are hellholes. they slowly eat away at everything you are and everything you have and eventually completely consume you and your world around you. i suppose you can say i’ve been in and out of ‘recovery’ for 3-4 years now. personally for me i find it’s [tiny] part relearning how to eat again and be okay with eating and [huge] part rediscovering/redeveloping who i am. i find that so hard. i have huge identity issues in case you haven’t realised from reading my blog
i’m pretty sure it motivates and perpetuates the ED cycle.
i think you’re so right in saying the true prison is the ed. there’s no doubt about that. and it’s so good that you know that and that it has helped you to move on past the ED into recovery. thanks for sharing that part of your story with me. it’s actually really helpful to read about other peoples experience.
Oh good! I was worried about whether I’d said too much for someone new to your blog. Glad you weren’t annoyed.