Nina's daughter struggled with anorexia: "We were afraid of losing her"

The daughter's eating disorder was discovered when she was 12 years old. For the family, who live in the Stockholm area, the news came as a shock during the school health service's annual health check. It was then noticed that the girl's weight had dropped to an alarmingly low level. At the same time, it emerged that she had been eating less and less for several months.

- Then a terrible fight began. My daughter wanted to be slimmer and lose weight, while we fought for her to survive, says Nina.

The care responsibility was placed on the family: "Shocking"

It took a long time before the daughter was able to come to specialized eating disorder care. By the time she finally saw a specialist, her condition had deteriorated significantly.

Despite that, she was judged to be in "too good a condition" to receive round-the-clock care and was sent home again.

- It came as a shock to all of us. Already at the first visit to specialist care, an enormous treatment responsibility was placed on the family.

That way, care can be better

According to Nina, there are several ways to improve care for children and young people with eating disorders. Above all, waiting times need to be shortened and the continuity of care strengthened, so that those seeking help can see the same care staff over time and can build trust.

She also calls for better cooperation between the various actors in healthcare. The transfer of information should not be the responsibility of the parents, she believes, but care providers and other relevant bodies need to cooperate more effectively.

- It is very important to get the right help in time.

Important to dare to speak out loud about the disease: "You are not alone"

In retrospect, Nina wishes she had been more open about her daughter's illness. According to her, openness can make it easier both to get help and to reduce the feeling of loneliness. She herself has processed her feelings by writing a diary and through support from the organization Frisk & Fri, which works with eating disorder issues.

- This is much more common than you think. When you're in the middle of it, it feels like you're completely alone, but that's not true, says Nina.

Today, Nina's daughter is healthy and doing well. She uses her own experiences to help others and thinks it is important to talk about the impact of social media on both body ideals and eating disorders.