I have heard of Anorexia Nervosa and of Bulimia, I know (or think I know) that they are
mental health issues with physical consequence. Apart from knowing sketchy details of
how the conditions manifest themselves that is probably the sum total of my knowledge
and having no immediate, or known, contact with a sufferer, should that be where my
interaction with the conditions ends? This seemingly simple question however is one that
is answered by individuals depending upon their perspective on the issue. If they are a
sufferer or parent of a sufferer the likely response is that I should not be apathetic and
instead should get involved; if they are like me not involved the response would probably
be, I know all I need to know.
Having read the Charlotte’s Chatting and Chuntering blog for some time now I frequently
come across her ED writings and these are scattered with references to treatments,
hospitals and the like which reduces the likelihood of my reading the article through. This
is not through any reluctance to learn more but rather the lack of time to spend in
understanding everything she is trying to cover. I wonder if it is due to some sort of innate
reticence on the subject and whether or not I should take the time to learn more on the
topic. Having a child with a different long term condition I am well aware of the isolation
and frustration sufferer’s parents feel at the levels of obfuscation and humbug that the
medical fraternity can engender. The groups involved directly in any serious illness usually
revolve around the sufferers, their parents, their doctors, their specialists, the nursing staff
and last but by no means least the self help Internet groups and aligned charities. This is a
simplistic representation but it demonstrates how the broader chapter is not involved
except when they know someone who is a sufferer or their parent.
Charlotte’s charismatic leadership is inspiring and makes me question if being ignorant
about diagnosis, treatment and living with a condition is acceptable. In what is frequently
described as the digital age access to information is immediate and profound. Twenty five
years ago would have required a trip to a library with hours trying to find only the slimmest
of information. Today it is possible to read vast amounts of variable data from widely
diverse sources and perhaps be more confused than before. So should I make the effort to
understand everything about ED to get the most out of her blog? I think not. The key to
Charlotte’s blog is that it reaches parts that other blogs cannot. It should garner support
either financial or material from the wider pool of resources that are her readership. There
is no shame in ignorance and in an environment where information is readily available it is
easy to get more informed. The articles in the blog that I have found opaque are usually
acronym filled and looking them up can reveal some shocking websites (CAMH in
particular).
Going forward I will use Google where I need to and if it is a thread that I don’t wish to
follow I will look forward to the next one.
As the mother of a recovering anorexic, I don't mind people's ignorance--we can't know everything about everything--but I do mind when the refuse to be educated. Thankfully, I've run into very few people like that. I admire Charlotte and the work she does very much.
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