The Guardian’s Jenny Stevens struggled with an eating disorder throughout her 20s. When she was able to finally access the treatment she needed, she began a slow recovery – which she is still coming to terms with
For as long as she can remember, the Guardian’s Jenny Stevens has had a difficult relationship with food and a feeling of being ill at ease with her body. As she moved through her teens into her 20s, these feelings intensified until she found herself skipping more and more meals while in the grip of anorexia.
She tells Rachel Humphreys that having recognised the problem herself, it was far from easy to get the treatment she needed. Faced with an obstructive GP, she was unable to get the referral she required for specialist care. Eventually she was referred to the eating disorder unit at the Maudsley hospital, south London, where she was able to begin the gradual road to recovery.