Anorexic Women in Addiction Treatment Centers
Super Thin Patients with Eating Disorders are Focus of New Book
Nov 1, 2006
Anorexic women in addiction treatment centers are the subject of a new book. It features super thin patients with eating disorders who are trying desperately to recover.
The award-winning photographer Lauren Greenfield, who brought us Girl Culture, Fast Forward and Thin, the documentary, has just released the accompanying book to the film.
Thin follows the women we were introduced to in the documentary (living in addiction treatment centers) on their journey to recovery through poignant photographs, journal entries and artwork from the women themselves.
This gives readers a larger scope for seeing these disorders firsthand. The super thin patients struggle with both anorexia and bulimia, but the book allows a look at others who also struggle with compulsive overeating and cutting, for example.
Many more anorexic women are added to the mix of subjects that have opened up their inner demons for the world to see. All are in addiction treatment centers at Renfrew Center and all are struggling to make it out alive.
As with the film, the book delves deeply into the thoughts that haunt these women and the fears that overwhelm them. The patients are blatantly honest and share things more personal than they probably have in their whole lives.
I was riveted b this book of photographs and text that is shining a light on the complex issues of eating disorders. Lauren Greenfield has done an outstanding job of capturing their fear and anxiety without exploiting their disease.
I hope both the film and book reach the millions of individuals who suffer and are trying to understand disordered eating. Perhaps they will be able to learn more from this firsthand collection.
You can buy the book from Amazon.com.
