Videos and Photos Can be Helpful for Anorexics

Using videos and family photographs can help anorexics during recovery by reminding them how they appeared before they became ill, according to Dr. Chris Freeman of Royal Edinburgh Hospital. Dr. Freeman told physicians attending the annual meeting of Britain’s Royal College of Psychiatrists in London at the end of June that videos can be helpful for showing patients with anorexia nervosa areas they don’t ordinarily see—for example, they are able to see how stark their faces look without subcutaneous fat or how their shrunken buttocks really appear to others.

Family photographs worked best

Dr. Freeman did add that his group found that use of the videos was expensive, and the staff found they were uncomfortable (some even reported feeling voyeuristic) filming the patients. Thus, Dr. Freeman changed the plan and asked patients to collect photographs of themselves from their birth to the present time, which they could then look at and discuss with their doctor. Using their own photographs was less technical, less expensive, much less intrusive, and helped patients better focus on their bodies and their families. It also gave them a developmental perspective about their condition, he added.