i think for a lot of people, it proves to them that there is actually something wrong with them. without the diagnosis, and even with it sometimes, people will think they're not actually anorexic or bulimic or whatever it is. Getting the diagnosis is like someone pulling the curtains open for them, showing them that they are actually sick idk

 

Validation.

 

i think for a lot of people, it proves to them that there is actually something wrong with them. without the diagnosis, and even with it sometimes, people will think they're not actually anorexic or bulimic or whatever it is. Getting the diagnosis is like someone pulling the curtains open for them, showing them that they are actually sick idk

I already know something is wrong with me, I just dont want anybody else to know

 

yeah, a lot of people doubt themselves and feel like wannabes, so i guess it helps them know for sure that they really have a disorder.

 

Without a diagnosis people are allowed to be in denial.

 

Without a diagnosis people are allowed to be in denial.

I was in denial as well I suppose for over a year, I only realized I was anorexic when I gained up to 110 pounds, which is still underweight for my height because I started eating normally when I moved in with my grandparents and then I freaked the fuck out and started restricting again.

 

Personally I don't like my diagnosis because some small minded people that I have come across look at me as my diagnosis and not me as a person! I feel like I am labelled and just stuck into a category. But I can understand why some people would want to have a diagnosis, because like any illness it's nice to know what is happening and it means getting the right treatment for you.

 

Validation but I have to agree it sucks having one people watch closer knowing it.

 

I hate being diagnosed honestly...like they are trying to put a label on your symptoms by process of elimination and half the time in my case they are wrong it's like...you don't know what's wrong with me..quit trying.

MistressMgoth

 

I kind of want one, but again, shitty parents won't let me see a doctor. I'm not sure if I will get one next year when I move out or not. I feel like I can't recover on my own, so when I go down that path (if I go down that path) I will need a diagnosis.

But at the same time, I'm kind of terrified that the doctor is going to say that there is nothing wrong with me because I'm not underweight right now.

 

yea without a diagnosis a lot of people (myself included) feel invalidated and like we don't have a real problem. sure inpatient is terrifying for those of us who don't want to recover, but I think having that bit of proof is, comforting? idk how to explain it.

 

I know what you mean. Being diagnosed made things so much more complicated for me... the court system wouldn't let me go until I completed recovery, and now I'm still living with the horrifying consequences. Things were so much easier when everyone thought I was just depressed, "naturally skinny," and super shy. But then you bring the term "anorexia nervosa" into the picture and everyone flies into a panic. Rightfully, I suppose, since it's a life-threatening disease. But it's also the only thing that makes me feel secure... and they wanted to take away everything that I depend on. That's not something I am willing to let go of...

So yes, I can relate to your confusion. I guess if people have the desire to recover but don't feel like they can change on their own, that's when they'd see a diagnosis as useful. Because then, other people would recognize they had a problem and help them to move on from it. That's the explanation that seems most sensible to me... I mean, if you don't want to recover, being diagnosed can be a very bad thing to happen. Once the doctors find out, they want to "help." But making me gain weight was NOT my idea of "helping..." So it depends on where you're coming from. A diagnosis can possibly be useful... because it gives some people a chance to get real care and support for their disease. Even though we all come here to gather around the MPA campfire and share experiences... there are so many different goals and interests. Some people want to recover, some don't... for those who do, getting diagnosed is probably a good place to start. Like, it would be hard to treat someone for cancer if the doctors still didn't know what was wrong.

Personally, I rue the day that it happened. I wish I could have kept it under the rug. A huge downside is that all these "professionals" suddenly think they know you. Since you've been diagnosed with "anorexia nervosa" they automatically know all your symptoms, habits, tendencies, and problems. You're nothing new, just another version of their definition of the disorder. That's what it makes me feel like, to them... just another disease walking around on two legs. Not someone with a disease, because that would make me unique. And they'd probably laugh at the thought of that.

Well, I know all professionals aren't bad. But I've had bad experiences with them and it colors my opinion quite a bit. Not that I mean to be discouraging about it... but it does sound pretty discouraging, now that I reread what I typed. It's just hard to be optimistic about those memories. My point is that everyone has different needs and perspectives, I guess. A diagnosis could either be a good thing or bad, depending on where you are in your mindset. I shouldn't talk so much about my mindset because that's when I start ranting... hehe, sorry everyone!

 

Diagnoses serve a few purposes:
1. Treatment
2. Insurance for treatment

3. An answer/explanation.

For some people it is a huge relief to actually know that 'hey no, despite what everyone else says, I am not doing this for attention.' You have a name for your illness, it's serious and you can explain to people.

I was diagnosed because I didn't know what I was doing to myself, I didn't know what anorexia was and I needed to talk to someone. My mum took me to the doctor and I just spilled everything because I was so frightened, and I was given help. (Despite a few months after wishing I never had).

A lot of people with anorexia have co-existing issues especially depression which is just as debilitating. If mental illness stops you going to work or school or something, you have to visit a doctor in the end and it will come out.

But at the moment, if you don't want treatment, you know your unwell, and you're doing "ok" then if its your secret, something to hold onto etc then yeah I understand

I am diagnosed with severe, ongoing and reacurring depression but I don't want to take pills for it, so I blame my low weight on the fact that im depressed idk.

I dont want a diagnosis, I know what im doing to myself now and I will do whatever it takes to hide it from everyone around me. Im not doing this for attention because I don't want anybody to know, if you know what I mean?

idk when my doctor tried to ask me a bunch of eating disordr questions I got so scared and lied so much that she believed me, im a great liar... horrible tallent but it works for me

 

it validates that its not just something weird or wrong about them, its an actual illness (not that undiagnosed ED's are any less problematic). for some people, it opens the door to treatment that they might not have gotten otherwise. it means other people in their lives might take them more seriously. for some people, I've noticed with anorexia especially, its like a badge they want to earn of being underweight. idk there are lots of reasons. i personally don't want to be diagnosed again (formerly BED, later atypical anorexia nervosa but with no serious treatment) because i do not want to get better at this point, I'm too far away from my UGW and i would freak out if i had to gain right now when I'm already so big and also because i can not afford very much treatment with my insurance, whether its OP or IP, and there is no way i want to put my parents who are already struggling financially in the position of having to pay for treatment. I could hardly afford therapy as it was, before i stopped going.

 

I think it's for validation for people. I was upset when I got my diagnoses. I still feel that I'm not anorexic though. I've been this way for 20 years now.

 

Like everyone is saying, it's the validation that something is wrong with them. ED's act a lot like Obsessive disorders, with a hallmark of it being doubting. I'm not sick, I'm on a diet. I'm not REALLY sick, I don't weigh low enough. If I tell them I starve, they;ll laugh and ask to join. People say I look good, I can't be sick, etc. The culture around ED's doesn't help, because unlike with most other mental illnesses, there's the pervasive fear of being seen as a wannabe or a faker

The way you are handling it, and the way someone who wants a diagnosis handles it, is different, but at the same time, even someone who wants a diagnosis does not necessarily want anyone ELSE to know it, or want help or to recover.

 

Aha, I'm backing what everyone else is saying here; its validation.

When I went for my diagnosis, I was numb emotionally. I was trapped in my ED and couldn't see a way out. I was also in very, very strong denial. I never thought for a second (cause I was just so out of it!) that diagnosis meant treatment and IP. I was hoping getting a diagnosis would finally bring it home to me that I was sick, that I HAD to do something else I WAS GOING TO DIE. But when I finally got that diagnosis it had literally zero effect; my ED said it wasn't valid cause I needed 'more than one professional to diagnose me', and not only that, but I wanted to die anyway by then, so yeah... it was pointless really.